What Goes Up
by TT-5
Summary: Everyone knows that what goes up must come down, yet Christopher Foyle still wasn't expecting it when it happened. Wasn't prepared for the way one telephone call would threaten to change everything. Set during Andrew's posting in Debden.
1. Chapter 1

March 1941

Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle was in the middle of a discussion with his sergeant Paul Milner when the phone on his desk rang. With a huff of annoyance and an apologetic glance at Milner he picked up the receiver. "Yes?"

Milner shifted slightly, trying to take a little weight off his bad leg and then froze as he watched Foyle put a hand on the desk to steady himself as the colour washed from his face. Foyle was speaking quietly, his replies short and clipped and Milner could only speculate as to what was being discussed.

Once he had hung up Foyle quickly crossed the room collecting his hat and coat before striding toward the door. He was almost in the hallway when Milner called to him, "Sir?"

Foyle pivoted realizing he had completely forgotten that Milner was in his office. "Milner, 'fraid I need to leave immediately, not sure when I'll be back. Anything urgent talk to Mr. Reid but I trust your judgment."

Milner nodded his face creased with concern, "Yes Sir."

Foyle nodded once before turning and heading down the hall. Milner's frown deepened as he limped after him. Foyle was walking rapidly, a further testament, if Milner needed one, to how upset the DCS was. Foyle was always careful to walk at a pace that was easy for Milner to match but now the sergeant struggled to catch up. "Sir?"

Foyle stopped, turning back toward Milner a frown creasing his forehead and Milner hurried to make up the distance between them, panting slightly at the exertion. "What's happened Sir? I know it's none of my business but…" He trailed off as his boss closed his eyes, almost as if he were in pain. "Sir?"

Foyle sighed and ran a hand over his face, "It's Andrew, he's…" his voice broke slightly and he swallowed hard before continuing, "the phone call was from his commanding officer, he's been in a crash, he's in hospital in Debden."

Milner felt his heart sink, he had been worried it was something to do with Andrew, he knew of few other things that could shake his otherwise unflappable superior. "How bad is it?"

Foyle shook his head, "don't know."

"Might not be too bad then, he was more or less alright last time."

 _Or it might be worse, much worse._ Foyle thought shuddering but nodding anyway.

Milner nodded back with what he hoped was encouraging smile but said no more as he fell into step with Foyle.

Sam had clearly seen them coming and was standing at the end of the hallway smiling brightly, "going out on a call Sir?" She asked once they reached her.

"Err no, not exactly, I need to go to…" Foyle broke off, as he remembered with dawning horror that Sam and Andrew were stepping out. A result no less of his meddling the last time Andrew had been injured. He looked into Sam's cheerful young face and found his mouth too dry to speak the words that would almost assuredly bring her to tears.

Fortunately Milner seemed to have realized the same thing Foyle had and after a quick glance at Foyle cleared his throat. "Sam, might I have a word?"

Sam nodded so Milner drew her a little ways down the corridor and gently broke the news. As Foyle had expected Sam gave a startled gasp and promptly burst into tears. "Not Andrew!"

At the other end of the hallway Superintendent Hugh Reid stopped dead in his tracks at Sam's words. He turned and took in the sight of Sam crying in Milner's arms, the slump to Foyle's shoulders and felt his breath catch in his throat, _oh God no!_

He hurried down the corridor and stopped in front of his old friend, "Christopher what's happened?"

Foyle started slightly at the question, and blinked up at Reid for a minute before saying hoarsely, "it's Andrew, he's been in a crash."

Reid put a hand on Foyle's shoulder, "is he badly hurt?"

Foyle shook his head, "don't know, they've taken him to hospital."

Reid nodded, "right. Give me a minute to grab my coat and speak to the duty sergeant and then I'll drive you."

Foyle frown slightly at this, "Hugh there's no need for you to…" he began but Reid shook his head.

"I want to Christopher and Sam is no fit state to drive. Won't be tick." And with a final reassuring squeeze of Foyle's shoulder he hurried away.

Sam had clearly heard what the superintendent said for she lifted her tear-stained face from Milner's shoulder and said "I can drive you Sir."

Foyle studied her for a moment and then shook his head, "think Hugh's right Sam, best if you wait here."

"Wait here! Oh Sir I can't I'll go positively mad with worry! Can't I at least come even if I don't drive?"

Foyle chewed his cheek furiously as he considered Sam's request. _Should I let her come? Do I even have the right to stop her? After all she is stepping out with Andrew but that was just makes me want to protect her more. I know she's strong enough to handle it but she was still so young and we don't know how bad it is…_

He shuddered as vivid images of burned and disfigured men filled his mind. While he prayed with all his might that Andrew had escaped such injury he didn't want Sam see him until he was sure.

He glanced up, only to have the words die on his lips at the imploring look in Sam's eyes. Thankfully Milner came to his rescue once again. "They usually only allow family in just at first Sam, Mr. Foyle's right probably best if you wait here for now. If he's allowed more visitors I promise we'll have you up there first thing tomorrow."

Sam looked between them, "you promise to telephone as soon as you know how he is?"

Foyle nodded, "of course."

Sam nodded tearfully, "alright. I just don't know how this could have happened! He was supposed to be safe in Debden!" The tears were running down her face again and Milner pulled her gently back into his arms.

"I know Sam" He soothed, "we'll know more once Mr. Foyle's seen him. Now why don't you go and wash your face while I fix us some tea?"

Sam nodded and took the handkerchief he offered her before heading toward the lavatory. Foyle and Milner watched her go and then Foyle cleared his throat. "Thank you Paul. Do keep an eye on her for me won't you?"

Milner started slightly at the rare use of his Christian name but recovered quickly, "of course Sir, don't worry I'll take good care of her."

Foyle nodded, "I know."

"Right, you ready then Christopher?" Reid asked as he strode over to the two men. Foyle nodded and with a final glance at Milner, turned and made his way out of the station.

Milner caught Reid's arm just before he could walk away, "you will call us once you know how he is won't you Sir? Mr. Foyle said he would but he might not get the chance and Sam is going to be desperate for news."

Reid nodded, "of course Milner, I'll telephone as soon as I know anything."

Milner nodded, "thank you Sir and don't worry about things here, Sergeant Rivers and I will see to it."

"I know you will and try not to fret too much, Andrew might very well be fine."

Milner nodded, "I hope he is Sir."

"So do I Milner now I must go."

Milner nodded and watched the Superintendent hurry away before turning and limping slowly toward the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

The two and a half hour drive to Debden passed almost entirely in silence. Reid, focused on getting them there as quickly and safely as possible, shot Foyle more than a few worried glances but could think of nothing to say that might ease his friend's anxiety. They had both been in the last war and seen enough of the effects of this one to know how bad it could be. With no information on Andrew's condition hopeful platitudes were worse than useless so Reid stayed quiet, praying fervently that Andrew would be all right.

Foyle was also praying, hoping against hope that his son had not been seriously injured. His prayers were interspersed with questions about what might have caused the crash, _an equipment malfunction perhaps?_ He could do no more than speculate so he worried, prayed and chewed the inside of his cheek almost raw as the car crept ever closer to the hospital that held his son.

When they finally reached the hospital Foyle had his door open before the car came to a complete stop, jumping out and rushing up the steps two at a time before Reid had time to speak. He strode directly up to the desk, hat in hand, "excuse me, I'm looking for my son, Flight lieutenant Andrew Foyle, I was told he had been brought here."

The nurse nodded and then checked her clipboard before offering him a gentle smile, "Of course Mr. Foyle, if you'll just follow me I'll show you where you can wait."

"How is he?" Foyle asked urgently as he followed her down a broad hallway.

"I'm afraid I don't know Sir, but if you'll just wait here." She gestured to a small room, "one of the doctors will be in to speak with you shortly and I'm sure he will be able to answer all your questions."

Foyle nodded, feeling the knot of anxiety within him tighten even more. _Last time the nurse just told me where I could find Andrew; if I needed to meet with a doctor first it must be worse._ With nothing else to do he began to pace, trying to combat the panic that was threatening to choke him.

He was still pacing five minutes later when Reid was shown in. "Christopher any news?"

Foyle shook his head and continued his circuit, hands deep in his pockets, chewing furiously on his cheek.

They waited in silence for another 10 minutes, before the door opened and admitted a tall man in a white coat. "Mr. Foyle?"

Foyle immediately turned toward the door while Reid sprang to his feet and took an anxious step forward. The doctor looked between them, clearly unsure whom he should be addressing but before he could seek clarification Foyle asked urgently, "How is Andrew?"

The doctor turned to look at him gravely before shooting an inquiring glance at Reid. Reid cleared his throat, "Hugh Reid, I'm just a friend. I can leave if you prefer."

The doctor shook his head, "it makes no difference to me if Mr. Foyle is alright with you being here."

He looked questioningly at Foyle who nodded distractedly, "of course, now Andrew…"

The doctor took a deep breath, "how much do you know?"

"Only that he was injured in a crash and brought here."

The doctor nodded, "that is the jest of it, although I'm afraid I don't know the details of the crash. It seems likely that he tried to bail out at some point though because his safety harness had been undone before he hit the ground."

Foyle's jaw twitched but he said nothing allowing the doctor to continue. "He's cracked a couple of ribs and bruised several more. Thankfully he doesn't appear to have suffered any internal bleeding but we are watching him quite closely at the moment just in case, sometimes you can get a slow bleeder. He's also got more then his fair share of cuts and bruises but the main concern right now is the head wound."

"Head wound?" Foyle queried anxiously.

"Yes, he clearly hit his head pretty solidly against the canopy when he crashed, the bleeding has stopped now but he has yet to regain consciousness."

What little colour Foyle had regained on the drive to Debden fled his face so rapidly that for a minute Reid was afraid he was either going to pass out or be sick. He took a step forward and placed a hand on Foyle's shoulder at the same time the doctor took a half-step back.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you all this sitting down, it's rather a lot to take in. Would you like a glass of water?"

Foyle shook his head, swallowing hard before asking, "He hasn't been awake at all?"

The doctor shook his head, "not since he was brought in no. Apparently he passed out on the way to the hospital." Seeing the stricken look on Foyle's face he hurried on, "it's not entirely uncommon, especially with the blood he's lost. It's not enough to need a transfusion but certainly enough to wear him out. I suspect he will have a rather bad concussion when he does wake up."

Foyle nodded grimly, "may I see him?"

The doctor nodded, "of course." He glanced up at Reid and continued a little apologetically, "We generally only allow family in at this point, especially with head wounds. He will need to be kept very quiet."

Reid nodded, "I understand. Would it be alright for me to wait outside his room?"

"That will depend on the ward sister but you can come along and ask."

Reid nodded and with a final glance at Foyle the doctor turned and led the way out of the room.

The doctor led them down several corridors and through a bustling ward before they reached a quiet wing that appeared to contain private rooms, presumably for patients who were too ill to be on a ward. The doctor paused briefly to speak to a nurse before leading them to the third room on the right. "We have him in a private room because we suspect he will have concussion. The noise level on the wards is usually too much for concussed patients to handle for the first few days."

Foyle and Reid both nodded gravely so the doctor continued. "I just spoke to the nurse and nothing has changed since I saw him last. I should warn you that he has quite a large number of cuts and bruises but in this incidence I do believe it looks worse then it is."

Foyle nodded again, practically vibrating with impatience to actually see his son. With a glance at Reid and a slight nod the doctor quietly led them into the room.

The curtains had been drawn leaving the room dim and cool, no doubt to accommodate the concussion that they seemed so sure Andrew would have. It took Foyle's eyes a moment to adjust and when they did he felt his breath catch in his throat.

There on the bed, with a bandage around his head and cuts and bruises on his face, lay Andrew. He was terribly pale and so frighteningly still that Foyle had to watch carefully for a minute to assure himself that his son was in fact breathing.

The doctor watched him silently for a minute before saying softly, "there is a chair by the bed Mr. Foyle and you are welcome to stay until the ward sister says otherwise. Mr. Reid I'm afraid you will need to leave shortly. A nurse will be in every 30 minutes or so but if he wakes or if you have any questions there is usually a nurse in the hallway. Now if you'll excuse me I need to return to the ward."

Foyle and Reid nodded and the doctor quietly left the room. Reid watched in silence for another minute and then placed a hand on Foyle's shoulder. "Christopher, I'm going to go and ring Milner and Sam but then I'll be just outside the door alright?"

Foyle nodded distractedly, his eyes still fixed on Andrew. Reid looked at Andrew once more and then gave Foyle's shoulder a squeeze, "you might as well sit down Christopher. I'll be back soon."

Foyle nodded again and made his way very slowly toward Andrew's bedside and perched on the edge of the chair. Andrew's appearance did not improve on closer inspection however and Foyle felt his eyes fill with tears as he took in the battered state of his son, his beautiful son.

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there, eyes fixed on Andrew's face as he willed his son to wake up when someone cleared their throat. Foyle looked up to see a young nurse in the doorway. He stood instinctively and she smiled at him, "sorry to disturb you Sir, I just need to check him over quickly."

"Of course." Foyle replied watching anxiously as she took Andrew's pulse and checked the bandage on his head. Next she pulled the blankets down and undid Andrew's pajama top. Foyle couldn't quite contain his sharp intake of breath as he saw the bandages that were holding his son's ribs in place and the bruises that covered his torso.

The nurse gave him a sympathetic smile, "I know it looks awful Sir but the binding will actually decrease the pain and there are still no signs of internal bleeding."

Foyle nodded mutely, unwilling to trust his voice.

The examination didn't take much longer and just before she left the nurse said kindly, "it's alright to talk to him you know Sir. Might help to know that you're here."

Foyle nodded again, waiting until she had left the room before retaking his seat. He sat quietly for a long while and then reached out hesitantly to take Andrew's limp hand. "I'm here son" he murmured, "Dad's here and everything will be all right but you need to wake up."

There was no indication that Andrew had heard him and Foyle carefully released his hand and sank back into his chair. Unable to contain the tears that slipped slowly down his cheeks as he buried his head in his hands.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun had set by the time Foyle finally saw what he had been praying for. Andrew's eyelids flicked open for a second before closing again. It was so brief that for a moment he thought he had imagined it but then it happened again. Foyle sat forward and reached for Andrew's hand squeezing it lightly. "Andrew?"

Andrew's eyes opened again and he frowned, "Dad?"

"Yes Andrew I'm here."

Andrew's frown deepened as he shifted slightly, " hurts"

"What does Andrew?" Foyle asked with concern.

"Everything, tired."

"I know son but I need you to stay awake until the doctor can have a look at you, can you do that?"

Andrew nodded and then paled suddenly. Thankful Foyle realized what was about to happen and grabbed the pan that had been placed on the bedside table for exactly this purpose, placing it under Andrew's chin just before his son began to retch.

The action jarred Andrew's injured ribs and he gave a low groan of pain as the spasms jack-knifed him forward again. The noise brought Reid halfway into the room, "Christopher?"

"Go and fetch the doctor or a nurse won't you Hugh?" Foyle asked as he tried to ease Andrew into a more upright position. Reid nodded and hurried off down the corridor.

Andrew groaned again and Foyle rubbed his back comfortingly, "easy son, I'm here."

Finally the spasms ended and Andrew slumped back against his father's arm just as a nurse hurried into the room. She immediately assessed the situation and took the soiled pan from Foyle, saying as she did so, "the doctor will be here shortly, try and keep him awake."

Foyle nodded and turned back to his son, "Andrew?"

"mhmm"

"Can you open your eyes for me?"

Andrew frowned slightly but complied, blinking up at his father, "Dad?"

"Yes Andrew I'm here." Foyle soothed trying not to panic over Andrew's evident confusion.

"Home?" Andrew asked.

"No son, you're in hospital."

"Oh. Why?"

"You were injured in a crash."

"Oh."

The exchange seemed to have exhausted Andrew and he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. Foyle frowned and spoke firmly, "Andrew you need to stay awake."

"Why?"

"The doctor will be here soon and he needs to have a look at you."

"'Kay." Andrew replied even as his eyes closed again.

Thankful the doctor chose this moment to make his appearance. "Ah Flight lieutenant Foyle, good to see you awake finally. How do you feel?"

"Tired."

The doctor nodded, "I'm not surprised, I just need to look you over and then you can go back to sleep alright?"

Andrew nodded only to pale for a second time before being sick into the pan the nurse had just brought back.

Fortunately the episode passed more quickly than the first one and he had soon slumped back against his pillows. "Ugh."

The doctor nodded sympathetically, "well I think it would be safe to say you have a rather nasty concussion. Try not to move your head it will only make it worse."

"Right."

"Is your head sore or is it mainly just the nausea?"

"Hurts."

"Does anything else hurt?"

"Everything."

The doctor nodded sympathetically again, "I can imagine, you got pretty banged up. Does any part hurt more then the rest?"

Andrew's brow furrowed and then brought a hand up to his chest.

"Your ribs?" The doctor asked.

Andrew almost nodded again but stopped himself at the last minute. "Yes."

"Well I can't say I'm surprised, you cracked some and bruised several more, I'll just check to make sure they are still bound properly and then we'll give you something for the pain alright?"

"Alright." Andrew replied wearily.

As promised the doctor finished his examination quickly and Andrew was soon being eased into a more upright position by his farther while the nurse readied a syringe.

"Has the nausea settled now or do you want an antiemetic?" The doctor asked as the nurse swabbed Andrew's arm.

Andrew looked confused and Foyle quickly translated, "do you still feel sick Andrew?"

"No. Tired. Hurts."

"I know it does son." Foyle soothed "the nurse is going to give you something to help. Can you squeeze my hand for me?"

Andrew complied and Foyle nodded to the nurse who efficiently administered the analgesic to the exposed bicep of Andrew's other arm.

Andrew gave a hiss of pain and squeezed Foyle's hand harder. "Dad?"

"It's alright Andrew, the nurse just had to give you a shot, it will help with the pain."

"Okay. Tired." Andrew murmured, struggling to keep his eyes open.

Foyle nodded as he helped him back into his pajama top and gently eased him back down on to the bed. "I know son."

"Sleep?"

Foyle hesitated and looked questioningly at the doctor. The doctor smiled back, "I've just got to ask you a few more questions Flight lieutenant then you can sleep."

"Alright."

"Where are you posted right now?"

"Debden."

"Where did you grow up?"

"Hastings."

"What does your father do?"

"Policeman, DCS."

The doctor looked questioningly at Foyle who nodded. "Well done. That's all I need to do for now. You definitely have a concussion, which explains the nausea. Sleep and trying to avoid sudden movements will help with that. We will probably need to rebind your ribs at some point but that can wait till tomorrow. If you feel any acute pain tell your father or the nurse immediately alright?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good man." He turned to Foyle, "Do you have any questions Sir?"

"The other doctor mentioned earlier that there was some concern about internal bleeding?"

The doctor nodded, "yes with cracked or broken ribs that's always a concern but I've seen nothing to suggest any internal injury at present, we'll continue to keep a close eye on that though."

Foyle nodded, letting out a soft sigh of relief. The doctor smiled understandingly at him, "Anything else?"

Foyle shook his head, "no I think that covers it."

"Good, well I'll see you tomorrow then unless I'm needed sooner."

Foyle nodded and reached out to shake his hand "Thank you doctor." The doctor just smiled and left the room.

"Dad?"

Foyle instantly turned back to the bed, "yes Andrew?"

"Sleep?"

Foyle smiled softly at his son, "yes you can go to sleep now, you've done very well."

Andrew's eyes immediately slid closed and for a minute Foyle thought he was already asleep and then he mumbled, "stay?"

"Yes I'm staying Andrew, just rest…" Foyle ran a gentle hand through Andrew's hair as he spoke and within five minutes Andrew was fast asleep. Foyle remained by the bedside as memories of all the other times he had watched his son sleep flooded his mind.

"Christopher?"

Reid's voice roused Foyle from his thoughts and he glanced toward the door to see his friend standing nervously on the threshold. Foyle frowned and gestured him into the room "Hugh, I didn't realize you were still here."

"You didn't actually think I would leave did you?" Reid asked incredulously before turning to look at Andrew, "How is he? The doctor wouldn't tell me anything because I'm not family."

"You're as good as." Foyle said softly as he glanced down at his son and then back at Hugh. "As they expected he has a bad concussion but he still knew what was going on and he doesn't have any internal injuries."

"Oh thank God." The relief in Reid's voice was palpable and Foyle nodded, he had spent the last 10 minutes thinking exactly the same thing.

"I'll give the station a ring but I doubt Milner or Sam will still be there. Will you be alright on you own?"

Foyle looked up and nodded, "of course I will Hugh, and you should get home to Elaine and the girls."

Reid shook his head, "and strand you here? I think not old boy. I'll give Elaine a ring and then go and see if they have anything more comfortable then those chairs for us to bunk on for the night."

Foyle tried to protest but Reid just squeezed his shoulder, "Leave it Christopher, Elaine and the girls would want me to be here, you know that. Now sit down before you fall down you look absolutely knackered."

Foyle had to concede that Hugh had a point and gave his friend a small upside down smile, "thank you for everything you did today Hugh."

Reid just nodded and squeezed his shoulder again, "not at all, you know I care about him too." Foyle nodded and let Hugh guide him in to the chair by Andrew's bed. "Rest Christopher, I'll be back soon."

Foyle nodded and let his head fall back; suddenly completely exhausted by the hellish day he had endured.


	4. Chapter 4

Reid strode briskly through the corridors until he reached the visitors phone. He paused for a minute to check his watch, 8pm, Elaine would probably just be tucking the girls in now. He felt a pang of regret that he was missing bedtime yet again but knew he was where he needed to be.

Taking a deep breath he picked up the receiver and rang the station. As he had expected neither Milner nor Sam were there but he left a message with the night desk sergeant who promised to pass it on first thing.

The news of Andrew's injury had clearly spread around the station as Sergeant Dixon assured him that they had everything well in hand and that he and Mr. Foyle were to take all the time they needed. Reid thanked him and promised to be in touch.

It was 8:15pm now, the girls should be in bed but might not be asleep yet. Reid hesitated, he didn't want to wake them but he also didn't want to be away from Christopher and Andrew for any longer then he needed to be. After a minutes thought he picked up the receiver again and rang the familiar number.

It didn't take too long to summarize Andrew's injuries and prognosis and the conversation soon turned to how Elaine and the girls had spent their day; Hugh smiling for the first time in hours at some of the questions Grace had asked at supper. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it home tonight. Did the girls go down alright?"

"They were fine Hugh, they missed you of course but I just told them you had to work late at the station. I didn't want to tell them about Andrew until we knew more. They each gave me a kiss to give you when you got home."

Hugh grinned, "I wish I didn't have to wait until tomorrow to collect."

Elaine laughed, "Well, there is an interest rate you know and I expect to be compensated in full."

"Don't worry about that Mrs. Reid, I'll make sure you get your money's worth." Hugh teased marveling yet again that such an amazing and beautiful woman had agreed to be his wife.

"I love you Elaine Victoria Reid." He murmured huskily, wishing for all the world that he could hold her in his arms and let her soothe away the horrors of his day as she had done some many times before.

"And I love you Hugh David Reid." There was a pause and then Elaine said briskly "Now you'd best get back to Christopher and Andrew. See if you can't find some tea and biscuits. I'm sure neither of you had any supper and you'll both sleep better with something in you. The nurses will have a tea room if nothing else."

"Good thinking love I'll be sure to ask and you're right I should go. I love you."

"I love you too Hugh, do try and get some sleep."

"Don't worry I will and I'll ring you tomorrow once I know what's going on."

"I look forward to hearing from you, and stay as long as you need to we'll be fine."

"Goodnight love."

"Goodnight Hugh."

Elaine had been right as she so often was and when Hugh returned to Andrew's room it was with a well-laden tea tray and the Ward Sisters' permission to sit with Andrew while Foyle slept.

His inquiry about tea was very warmly received; the same could not be said for his request to sit with Andrew. The Ward Sister had adamantly reminded him that it was family only, especially with head injuries like Andrew's, and that they were already stretching the rules by allowing Foyle to stay the night. However when Hugh had explained that Andrew's mother had died years earlier and his uncle and aunt didn't even know about his accident yet she had begun to soften.

A further explanation of his relationship with Christopher and Andrew and his belief that Christopher would not leave Andrew's side any other way had finally won her over. He could sit with Andrew but only for tonight. He had thanked her and quickly returned to Andrew's room before she could change her mind.

He found Christopher sitting as he had left him, silently watching Andrew sleep. "Christopher?"

Foyle raised his head, "Hugh, what have you got there?"

"Tea and biscuits old man, not much of a supper but it will have to do."

"Did you get a hold of Milner?"

Hugh shook his head, "no, he wasn't there, but I left a message with Sergeant Dixon so they'll get it first thing tomorrow. It seems like everyone's heard about Andrew, Dixon asked me to let you know they were all wishing him a speedy recovery."

Foyle smiled faintly, "Very kind of them."

Reid nodded and for a long while they drank their tea in silence. Finally all the tea and biscuits were gone and Hugh cleared his throat. "I've spoken to the Ward Sister and she says it will be alright for me to sit with Andrew while you get some kip."

Foyle immediately shook his head, "not leaving him."

"You won't have to" Reid soothed, "the orderly is going to bring a camp bed in and you'll be just across the room."

Foyle shook his head again, "My job not yours."

Reid frowned, "what is?"

"Sitting with Andrew. If you are going to insist on staying then you should at least get some sleep, you can't tell me you aren't tired."

"We can sit shifts if you like, but you do need to get your head down for at least a few hours Christopher. Andrew is fast asleep now but he's going to need you tomorrow."

Foyle hesitated, chewing his lip as he looked between Andrew and Reid. Hugh could tell he was weakening so he hurried on, "let me help Christopher, it's not as if I'll sleep if I'm sitting out in the hallway anyway."

Foyle sighed and then gave a brief nod, "alright, if you're sure?"

"I am." Reid insisted before standing and reaching for the tea tray, "I'll just deal with this and see about the camp bed while you say goodnight."

Foyle nodded and went to stand by Andrew's bed, gently brushing his son's hair back from his forehead. Reid gave him a sad smile and quietly left the room.

By the time he and the orderly had set up the camp bed, Foyle hadn't moved and Reid crossed to stand beside him. "Christopher?"

Foyle gave no indication that he had heard him so Reid placed a warm hand on his shoulder, "come on Christopher, the camp bed's set up now. Come and put your head down for an hour or two, you'll be right here if he needs you." Foyle let out a shaky breath and nodded before allowing Reid to guide him across the room and down onto the camp bed.

"Rest Christopher, I'll watch him the whole time, you have my word."

Foyle nodded, "Thank you Hugh." He ran a hand over his face and then looked up at his friend, "wake me in a few hours, I mean it Hugh, you need your sleep as well."

Reid nodded, "all right, try and get some sleep old man."

Foyle nodded again and set about untying his shoes while Reid quietly crossed the room and sank into the chair by Andrew's bed, ready to keep watch just as he had promised.


	5. Chapter 5

Detective Sergeant Milner leant back in his chair with a sigh and took a sip of his now tepid tea. It had been a long morning and it was only 10am. His day had started well. Sam had picked him up at 8am with the news that Andrew had woken late last night and was expected to fine.

She was desperate to drive up and see him but Milner had been able to convince her to wait at least until they heard from Mr. Reid again. He personally suspected that Andrew wouldn't be allowed visitors for another day or two and had gently suggested this to Sam.

She had deflated slightly before pointing out that Mr. Foyle would need a change of clothes and things if they were keeping Andrew in hospital and surely wouldn't complain if she drove up to Debden for that. Milner had to concede that she was probably right but pointed out that she would still have to wait until Mr. Reid or Mr. Foyle called. Once they arrived she had stationed herself by the front desk, waiting for the phone to ring while Milner had headed into his office.

The next few hours had passed in a blur of telephone calls and paperwork as he tried his best to tackle both his and Mr. Foyle's work. He was just trying to figure out what he should work on next when the phone rang again. With a sigh he put down his mug and picked up the receiver. "Detective Sergeant Milner here."

There was a pause and then the caller said, "I'm afraid I must have the wrong extension, I was trying to reach DCS Foyle."

"No there's no mistake Sir, Mr. Foyle is away at present. If you tell me why you are calling I might be able to be of assistance."

"Christopher's away on leave? Well that's a first. When will he be back?"

"I'm afraid I'm not sure Sir but if you explain the issue to me I will see what I can do, or if you prefer I can take your name and number and Mr. Foyle will contact you when he's back."

"What do you mean you don't know when he'll be back?" The tone of voice suggested that the caller was used to giving orders and having them followed.

Milner bit back a sigh. "Exactly what I said Sir, Mr. Foyle is away on personal leave for the present and I don't know when he will be back at work."

"Personal leave? He's not ill is he?"

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say Sir." Milner replied starting to feel somewhat annoyed by the other man's insistence.

"Look here man I'm his brother-in-law, Commander Charles Howard RN, and if something's happened to Christopher I need to know about it."

It was Milner's turn to pause, _Mr. Foyle's brother-in-law, if he expected Mr. Foyle to be at the station then he must not know about Andrew…_

"Hello are you still there?" Commander Howard's voice broke through Milner's thoughts and he jumped slightly.

"Yes, sorry." Milner thought for another minute and then took a deep breath, "Mr. Foyle is fine but I'm afraid the same cannot be said for Flight Lieutenant Foyle."

"Andrew? Oh Christ he's been shot down hasn't he? I haven't had a chance to look at the casualty lists yet. Yeoman, I want the RAF casualty list on my desk in five minutes." The last was presumably direct at someone in the room with him and Milner hastened to reassure him.

"There is no need to look at the casualty report Sir. Andrew was in a crash but he is expected to be fine."

"Oh thank God." The commander's voice was thick with relief, removing any doubt as to the man's affection for his nephew. There was a slight pause while Commander Howard collected himself and then he asked, "How badly is he hurt?"

"I'm afraid I don't know the details of his injuries."

"Where is he?"

"The RAF hospital in Debden. Mr. Foyle went up yesterday afternoon as soon as he was contacted."

"I see, well thank you for the information Detective Sergeant. I should be able to get away in a few hours to check on them. You said he was stable correct?"

"Yes to the best of my knowledge, but I haven't heard anything about his condition since last night. If you were to call the hospital they might be able to give you more information."

"Possible I suppose but most likely not worth the hassle, I know red tape when I see it and hospitals are full of it. Anyway I should let you get on with your work. Thank you again."

"Not at all Sir."

After they had rung off Milner spent a few minutes reviewing the conversation in his head. The slight tinge of discomfort he felt at being the one to break such personal news was quelled by the knowledge that Mr. Foyle would undoubtedly have thought to contact his brother-in-law at some point but would now be saved the trouble.

His tea really was cold now and with a sigh Milner rose and headed to the kitchen for a fresh cup, if this morning was anything to go by he was going to need it.

* * *

Hugh Reid rubbed tiredly at his eyes and then muffled a yawn behind his hand. It had been a long week and he had only gotten about 4 hours of sleep last night. He yawned again. ' _God I haven't been this tired since Grace was tiny.'_

Both Andrew and Christopher had slept soundly for the first part of the night then around 1am Andrew had started to mumble in his sleep. "Land…order…out…"

The words made no sense to Reid but it was clear that Andrew was becoming increasingly agitated. He leant forward and put a hand on Andrew's arm, "Andrew it's alright son, you're safe, everything's all right." He spoke soothingly, as if he were comforting one of his girls, but the words did little to settle Andrew.

"On ground…away…" Andrew muttered as he began to twist slightly. Reid immediately rose and caught Andrew gently by the shoulders, holding him still so he couldn't hurt himself.

"Andrew wake up!" He gave Andrew's shoulders a light squeeze in the hopes of breaking through his nightmare.

"OUT!" Andrew's cry immediately woke Foyle who sat bolt upright at the same time Andrew was struggling to do the same.

"Andrew it's alright. You're safe. Lie still." Reid's words were gentle but his grip was firm, the last thing Andrew needed was to jar his ribs or aggravate his concussion.

Andrew was still struggling against him as Foyle hurried across the room. Foyle blinked once as he assessed the situation and then said, "Andrew lie still it's all right."

Andrew stilled frowning slightly, "Dad?"

"Yes son, I'm here." Andrew instantly relaxed much to the two men's relief.

"Where?" Andrew asked as Reid released his shoulders and stepped aside to allow Foyle to take his place at Andrew's side.

"You're in hospital, you were injured in a crash."

"Oh."

"Can you open your eyes for me?" Foyle asked as he gently brushed the hair back from Andrew's forehead.

Andrew blinked obediently up at his father, "Dad? Mr. Reid?"

"Yes Andrew we're here."

"'Kay." Andrew's eyes slid closed again and he shifted slightly before letting out a soft groan.

"Andrew?" The concern in Foyle's voice was palpable.

"Hurts." Andrew complained, shifting again only to be met with the same result. Foyle frowned and Reid immediately turned and left the room to fetch a nurse.

"What hurts Andrew?"

"Chest, head…everything. What happened Dad?"

"You were in a crash, you've hurt your ribs and got concussion."

"Oh. I don't feel good Dad." He sounded so much like the sick little boy that he had been the last time he said those words that Foyle felt his heart swell with love and concern.

"I know son, I'm sorry." He murmured running a gentle hand through Andrew's hair, "Do you think you're going to be sick?"

Andrew went to shake his head but Foyle tightened his grip on Andrew's hair, "don't move your head Andrew or you will be sick."

Andrew frowned, "Why?"

"Because you have concussion." Foyle explained patiently.

Fortunately Hugh returned with the nurse at this moment and after a quick examination she gave Andrew another dose of pain medication.

Seeing the worry on Foyle's face she smiled reassuringly at him, "he's alright Sir. Nothing's changed he just needed some more pain medication. By tomorrow evening we'll have a better idea of how frequently he needs it and hopefully we can avoid this situation but it can take a few days to get a good schedule down."

Foyle nodded but continued to chew on the inside of his cheek as he watched her make a note on Andrew's chart before leaving the room.

Christopher had refused to go back to sleep after that so Reid had taken his place on the camp bed. It was a little short for the taller man but he had still managed to get a few hours kip before morning rounds started and he was sent back to waiting in the hall.

* * *

A/N: I hope you are enjoying this story so far and I'd love to hear what you think :)


	6. Chapter 6

Christopher Foyle was sitting at his son's bedside, one hand pinching the bridge of his nose, looking very much like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Christopher?" Commander Howard's voice was quiet but Foyle's head shot up and he quickly got to his feet, surprised to see his brother-in-law standing in the doorway in uniform, a cup of tea in his hands.

"Charles? Sorry, I meant to call, how did you…"

Commander Howard held up a hand to stop Foyle's rambling apology, "Christopher stop. It hasn't even been 24 hours yet; I doubt I would have thought to call anyone at this point. I happened to call the station to speak to you and once I was able to convince Sergeant Milner that I really was your brother-in-law he told me about Andrew's crash. I came as soon as I could and ran into Hugh Reid by the desk and he brought me here. Speaking of which this tea is for you."

He held out the mug and Foyle took it with a murmured "thanks."

While Foyle sipped his tea Howard turned slightly to study Andrew. He lay very still under the blankets, his face a myriad of bruises and cuts which stood out even more vividly against his pasty complexion and Charles could scarcely control his shocked intake of breath. Christopher looked at him and he cleared his throat gruffly, "how is he?"

Foyle sighed and turned to look at his son, "he's cracked and bruised a number of ribs and got one hell of a concussion but he doesn't seems to have any internal injuries."

"Thank God."

"Indeed."

"And how are you Christopher?" Charles asked, taking in the rumpled, unshaven, exhausted man in front of him.

"Fine. I'm not the one who fell out of the sky." The faint smile Foyle gave never reached his eyes and Howard gave him a stern look; the kind that had been making young naval officers squirm for years. Foyle sighed and ran a hand over his face "I'm worried obviously, that call…then finding out he hadn't woken…"

He shuddered slightly and Howard put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It must have been ghastly Christopher." He said softly.

Foyle nodded, "was rather, but he's been awake now and the doctors seem pleased with him."

Howard nodded, "any idea what happened?"

Foyle shook his head, "no but it must have been an accident of some type. I mean he's off ops for the moment and Andrew has always insisted that planes don't just fall out of the sky." His lips quirked into a slight smile and Howard smiled back.

Before he could reply however there was a groan from the bed and they both turned, Foyle immediately crossing to his son's side. "Andrew?"

Andrew shifted and groaned again before blinking up at his father, "Dad?"

"Yes Andrew I'm here, you alright?"

"Hurt everywhere." Andrew complained, still shifting to try and find a more comfortable position.

Foyle frowned, "want me to fetch the nurse?"

Andrew shook his head, an action he regretted a moment later as he was promptly sick into the pan his father had quickly placed under his chin.

Charles hesitated but then saw that Foyle was trying to ease Andrew into a sitting position and quickly moved to support Andrew's other side. The noise had drawn Reid into the doorway and he took one look before going to fetch a nurse.

Andrew was soon finished and he leant back exhausted against his father and uncle's arms. Foyle placed a the soiled pan to one side and set about wiping Andrew's face and neck with a damp cloth.

Andrew was a dead weight against Howard's arm and the commander could feel the bandages on his ribs through his pajama top. He frowned, the lad looked absolutely dreadful. Once Foyle had finished Andrew opened his eyes, frowning as he realized it was his uncle not Mr. Reid who was supporting him. "Uncle Charles?"

Howard smiled, "hullo Andrew."

"What are you doing here?"

"Well I heard you'd managed to wreck a perfectly good aircraft and injure yourself in the process so I thought I'd come by to check on you." His tone was light and he was relieved when Andrew smiled slightly.

"Sorry Uncle Charles, bloody Jerries came out of nowhere." Both Foyle and Howard frowned but before they could press him further Reid returned with the nurse.

The nurse decided that Andrew needed a fresh pair of pajamas and his ribs rebound so a doctor was summoned and Howard and Reid were promptly thrown out into the hall.

They stood looking at Andrew's closed door for several minutes before Howard cleared his throat, "I imagine it will be a bit before they let us back in?"

Reid nodded as he ran a hand through his hair, "I agree and by the time they do I would imagine Andrew will have gone back to sleep. I'm sure they'll give him something for the pain once they've rebound his ribs and that combined with the exhaustion will probably do it."

Howard nodded, "I suspect you're right and in that case I think I will go and telephone my wife. I didn't want to tell her about Andrew until I had some real information."

Reid nodded, "I'll wait here and if you aren't back by the time they're done I'll tell Christopher where you are."

"Thank you, I shouldn't be too long."

True to his word Commander Howard was back within 15 minutes. "Any change?" He asked as he approached.

Reid shook his head, "not that I know of. The doctor just left so it shouldn't be much longer till they let you back in. Hopefully the poor lad will be asleep."

Howard gave him a questioning look and Reid sighed, "rebinding his ribs, sounded very painful."

Howard grimaced. "Poor Andrew, poor Christopher too."

Reid nodded, "I can't even imagine how difficult this must be for him, the idea of one of my girls being hurt like that…" He trailed off with a shudder.

Howard nodded sympathetically and then said, "my wife should be here within the half hour and I may need your help when she arrives."

Reid frowned, "how so?"

"Well I'm hoping to convince Christopher to leave Andrew long enough to wash, shave and have something to eat and I suspect I will need your help to do that."

"I'm not sure my help will be enough quite frankly. Christopher has no intention of leaving Andrew until he's sure he's alright and, with no disrespect to your wife, I'm not sure he will trust anyone else with his son right now."

Howard nodded gravely, "You make a very good point but we did look after Andrew for several weeks after Rosalind died, and Alice went down to Hastings to nurse him when he got pneumonia 2 years later. I don't think Christopher will like the idea but I do believe that Alice is the only other person he would trust with Andrew at the moment, excluding yourself and Mrs. Reid of course."

Reid nodded, "well I hope you're right and I will help in anyway I can."

"Thank you. If we do persuade Christopher to leave the hospital for a bit I thought you could head back to Hastings." Reid opened his mouth to protest and Howard hurried "just long enough to freshen up, see your wife and daughters, maybe pack a bag for Christopher?"

Reid hesitated and then nodded, "all right but only if you can convince Christopher to come away as well."

Howard nodded and clapped him on the shoulder, "good man."

Foyle was very resistant to the idea, initial refusing outright but Howard put his well honed diplomatic skills to work and, with a mumbled assurance from Andrew finally got Foyle to agree.

The two conditions were that he would be contacted immediately if anything changed and would be back within an hour. The first was easy, the second all but impossible with London traffic. Howard frowned slightly, "two hours at most, what with the traffic."

Foyle looked ready to protest again but just then Andrew groaned and before he could return to Andrew's side Alice had settled him with a soft touch and a few gentle words. He froze and Charles put a hand on his shoulder, "you see Christopher he'll be fine, Alice will take good care of him."

Foyle nodded but crossed to the bed anyway and gently brushed Andrew's hair back from his forehead, "sleep son, I'll be back soon alright?" The steady rise and fall of Andrew's chest was his only reply and he reluctantly allowed himself to be led out of the room.

Reid was waiting for them in the hall, "taking Charles up on his offer then? Good man."

Christopher nodded and the three men made their way toward the front desk, "you should go home Hugh." Foyle said at last, "appreciate all you've done but you should get back to Elaine and the girls."

Reid smiled and clapped Foyle on the shoulder, "fully intend to, could do with a wash and shave myself but I'll be back this evening."

"There's really no need." Foyle protested but Reid shook his head.

"If the situation were reversed you'd do the same and you know it Christopher." There was no point arguing with that so Foyle just chewed on his lip. "I thought I might pack you a bag while I was back," Reid continued "anything in particular you want? Anything Andrew would want?"

Foyle considered this for a few moments, "my shaving kit and a change of clothes would be much appreciated, maybe a pair of Andrew's pajamas as well if you can find them?"

Reid nodded, "no trouble, anything else?"

Foyle hesitated and then nodded, "err yeah, on the bookcase in Andrew's room there should be some of those Air Service Boys books, would you mind grabbing one or two?

"Not at all." Hugh replied, a smile playing at his lips. He remembered Andrew reading those books as a young boy and clearly Christopher was hoping they would help keep Andrew quiet over the next few days. They soon reached the main entrance and went their separate ways.


	7. Chapter 7

It was just after 2pm when Reid pulled up outside his house, which meant it would be about an hour until the girls got back from school. He couldn't wait to see them but the idea of an hour alone with Elaine in the middle of the afternoon made him smile as he climbed the front steps.

"Elaine?" He called as he shut the door behind him.

There was a rattle and then Elaine appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, "Hugh? I wasn't expecting you home. Is everything all right?"

She hurried towards him as she spoke and Hugh opened his arms to her, "nothing's changed love, Commander Howard showed up and he was able to convince Christopher to leave the hospital for a bit while his wife watches Andrew, so I thought I would come home and collect on those kisses before the interest got too high."

Elaine laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck as he bent to kiss her. Standing in the front hall kissing like newlyweds was something they hadn't been able to do in years and they allowed themselves to get a little lost in the moment.

After a while Elaine pulled back and studied Hugh carefully bringing a gentle hand up to the stubble on his cheek. "Oh Hugh you look exhausted, did you sleep at all last night?"

Hugh smiled gently and brought his hand up to cover hers, "I got a few hours but the camp bed was nothing to write home about."

Elaine frowned, "you could try and get some rest now, the girls won't be home for a bit."

Hugh shook his head and bent to kiss her again, "much rather carry on with this thanks."

Elaine smiled against his lips but broke the kiss after a few minutes putting a hand on his chest, "you know I would too Hugh but we must be sensible. You need a wash and a rest, especially if you are going to be going back to the hospital later."

Reid sighed, "I suppose you're right and I am planning on going back. Don't want to leave Christopher on his own."

Elaine nodded, "I know, that's why you need to rest while you're home and that will be hard to do once the girls get home."

Hugh nodded rather reluctantly and Elaine gave him a quick kiss, "it's not that bad love, now go wash and shave. I'll be up in a bit." Reid nodded again and after another quick kiss wearily climbed the stairs.

20 minutes later he collapsed onto their bed, exhausted but feeling much better for his quick ablutions. He was just beginning to doze when he felt the bed dip next to him; he blinked and held out an arm, sighing in contentment when Elaine snuggled in next to him. "Love you." He mumbled.

"I love you too Hugh, rest now." Elaine murmured back. Hugh nodded, tightened his arms slightly and promptly fell asleep.

When he awoke she was no longer in his arms. He frowned and reached out a hand, expecting that she had just rolled away from him but found the other side of the bed empty. His frown deepened as he opened his eyes to find himself alone in their bedroom. A quick glance at the clock told him it was quarter to four and that's when he remembered the events of the past 24 hours. _Andrew's in hospital, I need to get back to Debden._

Reid pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bad, smiling as he heard the girls voice rising from the kitchen, _they must be having tea._

His supposition was correct and when he came down he found all three of his girls sitting around the dining room table. He paused for a minute in the doorway to murmur a quiet prayer of thanks that they were all together, something that you couldn't take for granted these days.

"DADDY!" Grace's cry shook Hugh from his musings and he just had time to brace himself before his daughters threw themselves into his arms. _God I hope they never get too old for this_ Hugh thought as he hugged and kissed his daughters, laughing as they peppered him with questions. "Where were you? I missed you! Guess what happened at school today!"

Elaine stood by the table smiling, "girls let your father sit down, you can tell him all about your day over tea." Maggie and Grace nodded reluctantly and each grabbed one of Reid's hands, pulling him over to the table.

Hugh paused to give Elaine a quick kiss while the girls sat back down, "did you sleep well?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, but I missed you when I woke up." Hugh replied softly, bending to give her another chaste kiss.

"Daddy?" Elaine and Hugh quickly pulled apart, smiling fondly at each other as they moved to take their seats.

"Yes Grace?" Hugh asked as he accepted the cup of tea his wife handed him with a grateful smile.

"Why did you have to be at work so long? You weren't here at bedtime last night or breakfast this morning."

"I know Gracie I'm sorry but I had something very important to do." Grace looked like she was about to ask another question so Reid hurried to distract her "Now what was it that you wanted to tell me about school?"

Tea passed pleasantly with both girls filling their father in on everything that had happened in the last two days. Once they had taken their plates through to the kitchen they hurried away to play while Hugh helped Elaine with the washing up.

"What time do you have to leave?" Elaine asked once the last dish had been put away.

Hugh sighed and glanced at the clock, "soon I suppose, I need to go over to Christopher's and pack him a bag and then I should probably be on my way. It takes just over 2 hours to get to Debden."

"So you can't stay for supper?"

"I don't think so love, sorry. I don't know how long the Howards will have been able to stay and I don't want Christopher to be alone if something happens with Andrew."

"Are you going to see Andrew?" Elaine and Hugh turned at the sound of Maggie's voice, surprised to find their oldest daughter in the doorway.

"Margaret Elizabeth Reid you know better then to eavesdrop." Elaine said sternly.

"I wasn't eavesdropping," Maggie protested "I came to ask if Grace and I could go out and play hopscotch but you and Daddy were talking and I didn't want to interrupt so I waited and then I heard about Andrew. May I come to see Andrew? I haven't seen him in ever so long."

Her parents looked at each other and then Hugh said, "go and fetch Grace please Maggie we have something to tell you."

Maggie nodded and hurried off leaving her parents to make their way into the lounge. They were sitting on the settee when the girls came into the room and smiled at their daughters waving them over to sit between them. Once Grace was situated on his knee and Maggie pulled up against Elaine's side Hugh took a deep breath. "You girls know that Andrew is away flying a spitfire." The girls nodded, "well yesterday there was an accident and Andrew got hurt."

"Did he get badly hurt Daddy?" Maggie asked, tears already shining in her eyes.

"Err not too badly hurt Maggie but he has to stay in hospital for a few days." As gentle as his words were both girls still burst into tears at the idea of Andrew, whom they thought of as an older brother, being hurt.

"Shh…don't cry love he's going to be all right…" Elaine soothed drawing Maggie into her arms while Hugh comforted Grace. "That's where Daddy's been, he's been at the hospital helping Mr. Foyle look after Andrew."

"Do you promise that he'll be alright?" Grace asked lifting her tear-stained face from her father's shoulder.

Reid hesitated, he didn't want to promise until he was sure that Andrew was completely out of the woods, "Everything the doctors have said suggests that he will be just fine." He said finally pressing a tender kiss to Grace's forehead.

"Can we see him?" Maggie asked, moping her eyes with her father's handkerchief.

"Not just yet, he hurt his head and needs to sleep a lot so he can't have very many visitors right now." Reid said gently.

"But I want to give him a hug." Grace protested.

"Why don't you both draw him a picture?" Elaine suggested, "then he will know you are thinking about him and Daddy will take them to him when he goes." The girls brightened at this and were soon hurrying upstairs.

Hugh leaned back against the settee with a sigh, "they love him so much Elaine, if anything should happen…" He trailed off running a hand through his hair.

"I know Hugh but we have to hope for the best, it's all we can do."

Reid nodded and stood, drawing her up with him, "right as always darling, now I should go and pack a bag for Christopher."

Elaine nodded and leaned up to give him a quick kiss, "I'll go and see if the girls need any help."

When Reid set off for Debden an hour later, he had a thermos of stew to split with Foyle for supper, overnight bags for both of them and two drawings for Andrew.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I am neither a pilot nor a doctor so I apologize for any inaccuracies. I own nothing but my imagination which I like to exercise writing stories like this. I hope you are enjoying the story and any feedback you have is always appreciated :)

* * *

Thankfully when Reid got back to the hospital he found Andrew resting peacefully and Christopher looking much more like himself, once again clean-shaven and sharply dressed.

They shared Elaine's stew in companionable silence before Reid insisted that Foyle take the first shift on the camp bed. "I got some kip while I was home, besides I'm only allowed in the room because I told the ward sister it would let you get some rest. If she came in and found me asleep on the camp bed she'd probably throw me out into the hall again, literally at that."

Foyle smiled slightly at the idea of the diminutive Ward Sister tossing Hugh out on his ear, but had to agree that she was a force to be reckoned with. He said a quiet good night to his son and with a final reminder that Reid was to wake him in a few hours crossed to the camp bed.

Andrew had a nightmare just before 2am, which woke his father and resulted in Reid fetching the nurse to get him more painkillers but apart from that slept peacefully, much to everyone's relief.

As he had the night before, Foyle refused to go back to sleep after Andrew's nightmare so Reid curled up on the too small camp bed for a few hours' kip before morning rounds started.

He was just reading the paper with his second cup of tea when one of the nurses came over to say that two gentlemen from the RAF were there to see Mr. Foyle and asked if he thought she should interrupt his meeting with the doctor to tell him.

Reid considered this for a moment as he folded up his paper but then shook his head, "no, at least not yet, if you can show me where they are I might be able to tell them what they want to know without disturbing Christopher."

The nurse nodded and led Reid back to the room where they had waited for news about Andrew two days earlier. There were two men in RAF blue waiting for him, the younger man pacing anxiously and fiddling with his cap while his superior sat patiently in one of the chairs. They both looked up as Reid was shown in and the older man immediately got to his feet, "Mr. Foyle, I'm Wing Commander Jameson."

He held out a hand, which Reid shook, saying as he did so, "Hugh Reid, I'm pleased to meet you Wing Commander, I'm a friend of Mr. Foyle's. He is currently meeting with the doctor so I thought I would see if I could be of any assistance."

The Wing Commander looked somewhat taken-a-back but recovered quickly, "I see. How is Flight Lieutenant Foyle?"

"Rather banged up but the doctors are confident that he will recover." The younger man let out a sigh of relief before flushing slightly as Reid and Jameson both turned to look at him.

"That is very good news, we were all quite worried about him."

Reid nodded, "very good of you to stop by Sir, I know Andrew and Christopher will appreciate it."

"Not at all, I'd be a rather poor commanding officer if I didn't." He hesitated for a moment, shooting a quick glance at the young officer before asking, "has Andrew said anything about what happened?"

Reid shook his head, "not to my knowledge Sir, he has quite a bad concussion so he has only been awake for very short periods of time."

Jameson nodded gravely, "so neither you nor Mr. Foyle have any idea what happened?"

"No Sir."

Jameson nodded again a frown creasing his brow, "well if you think Mr. Foyle would be interested Pilot Officer Davidson was with Flight Lieutenant Foyle at the time of the incident, obviously we are still missing some of the details but his account would give you a much better idea of what happened."

Reid nodded "I know Mr. Foyle would be most interested in knowing what happened, if you gentlemen will excuse me I'll go and see if he is available to meet with you."

The Wing Commander nodded, "of course" and Reid turned and left the room.

The door to Andrew's room was open and when Reid stuck his head in he found Foyle sitting quietly in the chair watching Andrew sleep.

"Christopher?"

Foyle looked up smiling tiredly at his friend, "Hugh, the doctor seems to think the risk of internal bleeding has all but passed."

Reid smiled back, "that's marvelous news." Foyle nodded, his eyes once again straying back to his son. "What about the concussion?" Reid asked.

"That will take a while to heal. They are going to keep him in hospital at least until he can sit up for a bit without being ill and maybe longer depending on how he does, certainly no flying for a bit."

Reid nodded, "speaking of flying, Wing Commander Jameson is here to see you."

Foyle frowned, "what does he want? Surely he knows Andrew isn't fit to return to duty."

There was a fierce protective edge to Foyle's voice and Reid smiled inwardly, "no, no it's nothing like that, he came by to see how Andrew was getting on."

"Oh, that was good of him." Foyle replied much more calmly.

Reid nodded and after a glance at Andrew said softly, "he also thought you might want to know what happened."

Foyle turned sharply to look at him, "he knows what happened?"

"Err more or less I believe, one of the other pilots, Pilot Officer Davidson, who was with Andrew at the time is here with the Wing Commander."

Foyle nodded gravely, looking at Andrew while he chewed on his lower lip. Finally he crossed to the bed and gently brushed the hair off his son's forehead, "Andrew?"

"Mhhmm"

"Will you be alright on your own for a little while? The Wing Commander is here and would like to meet with me."

Andrew's eyes flew open, "Jameson? Lads alright?" He was struggling to sit up but Foyle put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down Andrew, I'm sure everyone is fine."

"Then why is he here?" Andrew demanded.

"He wanted to check on you." Foyle replied calmly, his hand still resting against Andrew's shoulder in case he tried to sit up again.

"Oh." Andrew relaxed back against his pillows, "Ask about the lads for me? 'specially Davidson and Parker, up with me when…" he made a vague motion with his hand, "need to know if they got down safe."

Foyle nodded, noting the way Andrew's eyelids had already started to droop, "I'll be sure to ask," he promised, "Just rest now, I'll be back soon."

"Kay." Foyle waited until Andrew's breathing had evened out and then quietly followed Reid out of the room.

Pilot Officer Davidson was pacing again when they entered the room but came to an abrupt stop when he saw them, swallowing nervously. Reid just had time to shot him a friendly smile before the Wing Commander approached, "Mr. Foyle? Wing Commander Jameson, pleasure to meet you."

"And you Sir." Foyle replied politely as he shook the other man's hand.

"Mr. Reid said that Andrew is expected to recover?"

Foyle nodded, "yes, it will take some time, but the doctors seem pleased with his progress at the moment."

"That is very good news Sir, we have all been quite worried about him and he has been greatly missed by the men. Foyle inclined his head, pleased to hear that Andrew was so well liked by his compatriots.

There was a pause and then Jameson continued, "I understand that Andrew hasn't been able to tell you what happened?"

Foyle shook his head, "he made a vague mention of some German planes but he wasn't particular clear."

Jameson nodded, "well I believe we can help you there, Pilot Officer Davidson?"

The younger man immediately came to attention, "Yes Sir?"

"Would you please explain to Mr. Foyle what happened when the Flight Lieutenant was shot down?"

Both Foyle and Reid flinched at the words 'shot down' but Davidson nodded, "yes Sir."

He was still standing stiffly to attention and the Wing Commander smiled slightly, "at ease Pilot Officer."

Davidson stepped his legs a part, fidgeting nervously with his cap as all three men looked at him. After a few minutes of silence Foyle took pity on him, "why don't you just start at the beginning, were you up on a training flight?"

Davidson took a deep breath and nodded, "yes Sir, it was only mine and Parker's second time up so it was just us and Andrew. We'd been working a bit on spins and then all of a sudden Andrew was ordering us to land. I didn't see why at first but then I turned and there were two Jerry's coming right for us."

Foyle's jaw tightened, his eyebrows knitting together slightly but he stayed silent allowing the younger man to continue. "Parker and I tried to point out that if we stayed it would at least be 3 on 2 but Andrew said he'd have us court martialed if we didn't land immediately."

He paused and looked earnestly at Foyle "We didn't want to leave him to face them alone Sir but we couldn't disobey a direct order."

Foyle nodded, "I understand. So what happened?"

"Well they were coming right for us so Andrew told us to wait until he'd drawn them away and then land and fetch the other instructors. He flew right at them Sir, managed to wing one of them and forced the other one to climb after him."

There was awe in the younger man's voice but all Foyle could think of was how his son had flown directly at two enemy fighters to ensure the safety of two other young men.

"We landed just as quickly as we could and ran directly to the officers mess but by the time the other instructors were running for their planes Andrew had managed to damage the second plane as well and they were both heading back to Germany. One of them must have got him though because his engine was smoking. For a minute it looked like he was going to have to bail out but he managed to bring it down in the field next to the airstrip and by the time we got a truck over to him he was pulling himself out and kept telling us to stay back in case it went up."

Davidson took a deep breath and looked up at Foyle guilt clearly written on his face, "we didn't know he was so badly hurt Sir, he really didn't look too bad but by the time we got back to the barracks he'd passed out. The medic took one look at him and threw the rest of us out so they could get him to hospital. I'm very glad he's going to be all right.'"

Foyle nodded, offering the young man a weak smile, "thank you for telling me what happened Pilot Officer. Parker was the other man who was up with you?"

"Yes Sir."

"And he's all right?"

"We're both fine Sir, thanks to Andrew."

Foyle nodded again and turned back to the Wing Commander, "Any idea where those fighters might have come from?"

Jameson shook his head, "our best guess is that they got lost on bomber escort but we'll never know for sure."

Foyle nodded, "I see, well I appreciate you taking the time to check on Andrew."

"Not at all Sir, I would have come sooner but I detained by meetings."

"I understand. Can I help you gentlemen with anything else?"

Jameson shook his head, "I don't think so Sir, I'm assuming Andrew isn't up for company yet?"

Foyle shook his head, "no, not just yet, maybe in a few days."

"Well in that case please tell him that we all wish him the very best."

"Thank you, I will."

The two men shook hands and then the Wing Commander gestured to Davidson "come along Pilot Officer we had best get back to base."

Davidson nodded "yes Sir." He stepped forward to shake hands with Foyle saying as he did so, "please tell Andrew that there will be new plane waiting for him and that the first round's on us once he's back."

Foyle nodded, a faint smile playing at the corners of mouth, "I will and do take care Pilot Officer."

"Thank you Sir." Jameson and Davidson shook hands with Reid and then left the room.

Reid and Foyle stood in silence for a few minutes, trying to digest what they had just been told. "Christ" Reid muttered finally.

Foyle nodded and then turned and led the way out of the room chewing furiously on his cheek. He was still silent when they reached Andrew's bedside and Reid laid a careful hand on his tense shoulder, "Christopher?"

Foyle let out a sigh, his eyes fixed on his son. "I don't know if I am proud of him for being so brave or furious with him for being so reckless." He said finally, his voice rough with emotion. "I…I could have lost him Hugh."

Reid nodded and tightened his grip, "but you didn't, by the grace of God he's going to be alright. You have to focus on that Christopher, not what could have been."

Foyle nodded silently, his eyes suspiciously bright as he studied his sleeping son. Hugh gave his shoulder another squeeze, "I'll go and fetch us some tea." Foyle nodded and Reid quietly left the room sensing that Foyle needed a few minutes alone with his boy.


	9. Chapter 9

When Commander Howard entered the room an hour later he found Foyle sitting by Andrew's bedside, an empty teacup and a newspaper beside him, just watching his son sleep. "Christopher how is he?"

Foyle looked up at Howard's question offering a weary smile, "Much the same but unless something changes the doctor said that the risk of internal bleeding will have basically passed by tomorrow."

Howard nodded, his shoulders relaxing slightly, "that's excellent news. Has he said anything else about what happened? I got in touch with a friend of mine at Fighter Command but he didn't know any details, said he would try and hunt up the report and get back to me."

Foyle nodded, his eyes straying back to his sleeping son, "he hasn't said anything else but his commanding officer came by with one of the pilots who had been up with Andrew at the time."

"And?"

Foyle relayed the story that Pilot Officer Davidson had told earlier, although there was much less awe and more pain in his voice than had been in the younger man's. When he finished Charles looked as shocked as Foyle had felt. "My God Christopher. Took them both on by himself? That's the sort of thing men get decorated for!"

Foyle frowned slightly, "can't say that occurred to me, I'm more concerned about what the bloody hell he was thinking, doing something like that."

"I was thinking Dad that I was up with two lads who barely had four flying hours between them. Jerry would have torn them to pieces before they even had time to fire a shot." Both men started, neither one of them had been looking toward the bed so they didn't realize Andrew had woken in time to hear the end of their conversation.

Foyle nodded gravely as he turned to study his son's bruised face, "but why didn't you just land with them?"

Andrew sighed and then groaned as he shifted slightly, "they were coming too fast Dad, no way we would have all made it down before they got to us. I wasn't about to let them strafe the airfield or the town for that matter. 'Sides not the first time I've taken on two Jerries by myself."

The casual truthfulness of the last statement made Foyle flinch, _just how many times have I almost lost him during this damn war?_ He wondered closing his eyes against the fear that thought invoked.

"Sorry Dad."

Andrew's voice was low and regretful and Foyle shook his head, "don't be, I'm proud of you. Appreciate it if you could try not to make a habit of crashing though."

"I didn't crash!" Andrew objected hotly, "I got shot down and I landed, well almost."

"Do you remember what happened Andrew?" Howard asked quietly, knowing that while it might be hard for Christopher to hear, it was a story that Andrew needed to tell and the sooner he got it off his chest the better.

Andrew nodded, paling slightly but thankfully not requiring the pan that his father had immediately placed under his chin. Once he settled back against his pillow he took a deep breath and began. "I saw them coming for us so I told Parker and Davidson to land and then went after them. Got the first one in the wing easy enough but the second one wanted to go. Finally got in a few good hits but right before he peeled off he managed to hit my engine."

"Knocked out most of the steering so I figured I'd have to jump. I undid my harness but when I went to undo my canopy I realized I'd lost too much height to jump safely. I used the flaps to cut the speed as best I could and managed to steer her down in the field by the airstrip. I didn't try and land at base in case I couldn't make it and took out the other planes or a building. Made it down more or less in one piece and got out just as fast as I could. Tried to keep the lads back." He paused, frowning slightly, "then I woke up here."

Andrew looked up at his father and uncle his brow furrowed, "I don't know what happened, after I got out I mean. God I hope the lads listened and stayed back."

"I'm sure they did Andrew." Foyle soothed, "Davidson and Parker are both fine and Davidson said to tell you there'll be a new plane waiting for you when you came back."

Andrew smiled slightly at this, "well that's something to look forward to I guess." He yawned and shifted slightly, frowning again as the action jarred his injured ribs.

Foyle could tell that Andrew was struggling to keep his eyes open, "do you need anything?"

Andrew thought for a moment, "thirsty" he murmured finally, his eyes sliding closed.

Charles quickly poured him a glass of water while Foyle slipped an arm under his shoulders lifting him up enough to drink then helped him bring the glass to his lips. Once Andrew had drunk his fill Charles took the glass while Foyle settled Andrew back against his pillows. "Do you need anything else? More pain medication?"

"No, tired."

"Sleep then son, I'll be here when you wake up." Andrew nodded very slightly and fell asleep to the soothing motion of his father's fingers running through his hair.

Howard waited until Foyle had tucked the blankets more tightly around Andrew before clearing his throat, "if you're alright I should be getting back to the admiralty. I'll get a rating to take down what Andrew told us and have it sent off to Fighter Command, hopefully that will count as his debriefing."

Foyle nodded, "thank you Charles, I hadn't even thought about that but I suppose they would need to know what happened from his side."

Howard nodded, "reports are popular with command. You sure you'll be all right? Alice should be here just after lunch, she had calls to pay this morning."

Foyle nodded, "yes we'll be fine thank you Charles."

Howard gave him a searching look and then nodded, "good, I'll stop by this evening to see how you are getting on. Anything changes ring the admiralty."

Foyle nodded again, "of course."

"Good, I'll be off then." The two men shook hands and Howard took his leave stopping briefly to speak to Reid in the hall.

* * *

The next time Andrew woke it was to the soft clack-clack of knitting needles, he frowned at the unfamiliar sound, "Dad?"

The noise stopped and he felt a gentle hand on his arm, "no Andrew its Auntie Alice."

Andrew's frown deepened as his concussed brain attempted to make sense of this, "where Dad?"

"He's not here right now, he's just gone to lunch with Mr. Reid but he'll be back soon." The explanation seemed to calm Andrew and he soon fell back into a doze.

The problem was that only the first part of her sentence had truly worked it's way into Andrew's brain, _'he's not here.' That didn't make any sense; Dad is always here especially when I'm sick._ The confusion slowly grew to worry as he slept, his mind presenting the worried faces of Mr. Reid and his aunt and uncle but never his father. ' _He's not here_. _'_ The words seemed to echo in his head, ' _Dad would be here unless…unless he couldn't be…unless he was gone…'_

Before he knew it Andrew was back in the nightmare that had haunted him in the months following his mother's death, his father was dead and he was left alone. He was soon moving restlessly in his sleep, trying to escape the horrors of his dream. "Dad!"

By this time Foyle had returned from lunch, Alice having taken her leave twenty minutes earlier. He immediately glanced up at Andrew's call and was surprised to see that his son's eyes were closed and his face crumbled into a deep frown. He placed the paper he had been reading to one side and moved to stand beside the bed placing a gentle hand on Andrew's arm. "I'm here Andrew."

Andrew didn't seem to hear him. "No…please…Dad!" He pleaded, tears running down his face.

Foyle's eyebrows knitted together in a look of deep concern as he caught Andrew by the shoulders trying to stop him from aggravating his injuries. "Andrew lie still it's all right."

The noise had brought Reid halfway into the room, "Christopher?"

"Go and fetch a nurse would you Hugh?" Foyle asked, his eyes barely straying from Andrew's face as he tried desperately to soothe his son. "Sshh son it's all right…I'm here…you're safe…"

"NO…DAD!" Andrew was sobbing now, his legs tangled in the blankets and only his father's firm grip was preventing him from twisting his torso.

Foyle tightened his grip slightly, "Andrew wake up!" He spoke firmly but Andrew didn't respond, still sobbing and calling for his father.

He was about to repeat himself when Reid, who had just returned with the nurse, spoke up. "May I have a go Christopher?" Foyle hesitated for a moment and then nodded, allowing Reid to take his place by Andrew's side. Reid took a firm grip of Andrew's shoulders and cleared his throat, "Flight Lieutenant Foyle wake up!" He spoke with all the authority of the Police Superintendent that he was and Andrew responded immediately. His eyes flew open, he jerked upright and, if not for the nurse's quick reflexes, would have been sick all over Reid's uniform jacket.

Reid ran a soothing hand across his back while he retched, "easy lad it's alright."

Hugh's voice was gentle but Andrew shook his head, "Dad..." he murmured his voice cracking as he squeezed his eyes shut against his tears.

Foyle frowned and immediately took Hugh's place at Andrew's side, "I'm here Andrew." To his dismay Andrew continued to cry, tears slipping slowly down his cheeks. Foyle brought a hand up to cup the back of Andrew's neck, "What hurts Andrew?"

Andrew didn't answer he just sat there with his eyes tightly shut, tears running down his face as he rocked slightly, "Dad…please not Dad…all alone…"

His voice was full of pain and Foyle realized with sudden heartbreaking clarity what must have happened. He tightened his grip on the back of Andrew's neck. "Andrew, look at me. It was just a bad dream, I'm right here. Open your eyes for me son, please."

Andrew wanted to resist but the voice was so very much like his father's that he gave in, opening his eyes hesitantly. When he saw his father standing in front of him he was afraid to blink, afraid that if he did the image would vanish.

"Andrew?"

"Dad?"

"Yes Andrew I'm…" But before Foyle could continue Andrew had wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in his waistcoat, sobbing desperately.

"Dad…gone…" His words were broken by harsh sobs and Foyle immediately sat on the edge of the bed, drawing his son into his arms and holding him as tightly as he dared.

"Shhh…It was just a dream Andrew, a bad dream nothing more…hush now it's all right…" His voice was low and soothing, his hand running over the back of Andrew's head as he spoke but still Andrew sobbed, pouring all of his relief, exhaustion and pain out on his father's shoulder.

Reid and the nurse had watched the scene unfold and now felt very much like intruders on this private moment between father and son. "Come and find me once he's settled, I'll need to have a look at him make sure he hasn't hurt himself with all that thrashing about." The nurse spoke softly and Reid nodded walking with her to the doorway of the room and then staying there, just inside the door. Close enough to help if he were needed but far enough away to give Christopher and Andrew some privacy.

Finally Andrew sobs lessened but he kept his face buried against Foyle's neck, unwilling to let go. Foyle rubbed Andrew's back soothingly, just as he had always done when Andrew suffered from nightmares as a boy, "Did you dream that something had happened to me Andrew?" He asked gently.

Andrew nodded, "like after Mum…bombed house…all gone…"

Foyle felt fresh tears dampening his collar, "sshh…it was just a bad dream son…I'm fine...hush now."

Andrew soon quieted and slumped exhausted against his father, "hurts Dad."

Foyle frowned, gently easing Andrew back against his pillows and brushing the hair out of his eyes, "what does Andrew?"

"Everything, head, chest…don't feel good."

Foyle nodded and looked toward the door just in time to see Reid leave the room again in search of the nurse, "I know son, I'm sorry, Hugh's gone to fetch the nurse."

The nurse gave Andrew a thorough examination but thankful he didn't appear to have done himself any more damage and she was soon administering an analgesic. "Nothing looks out of place, although the poor lad's worn himself out with all that crying, good thing you were here Mr. Foyle don't reckon he'd have settled any other way."

Foyle nodded but didn't move from where he stood his hand running soothingly through his son's hair. "Sleep son" he murmured after the nurse had left the room, "I promise I'll be right here."

And right there he stayed, neither Howard or Reid were able to persuade him to move and the night nurses just smiled fondly when they found him asleep in the chair by Andrew's bed, one hand resting on his son's arm, a constant reminder of his presence.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I am not a doctor or nurse and have thankfully never been concussed so I don't know how accurate my description of Andrew's concussion are, and I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies.

* * *

Thankful Andrew slept peacefully through the night and the smile he gave his father when he woke made Foyle forget all about how stiff he was from a night spent sleeping in a chair. When Reid came in a little while later with tea he found Foyle reading aloud quietly from one of the Air Service Boy's books while Andrew lay listening, a small smile upon his face.

Reid had telephoned the station on his way to get tea so he was able to bring Foyle up to date on station news. Things were apparently running very smoothly and a smile was played at Foyle's lips as he considered how much this would buoy Milner's confidence.

There was no doubt in Foyle's mind of how capable Milner was but getting Milner to believe that losing his leg had not altered his competency was a slow process; and one that Foyle knew was not aided by his wife's unfortunate attitude. Hopefully being in charge for a few days would reinforce what Foyle had been trying to make him see since he took him on, that he was a good detective and could make inspector if he wanted to.

His casual inquiry after Sam had left Andrew looking stricken and it wasn't until Reid had left in search of a paper that Foyle was able to deduce why. Andrew had not forgotten per say, but his injuries, specifically the concussion, had pushed his fledgling relationship with Sam to the back of his mind.

Andrew was disgusted with himself and it took Foyle some time to convince him that it was just another symptom of his concussion and that no one thought less of him for not asking after Sam immediately. Even so Andrew was eager to see her and Foyle agreed to speak to the nurse later to see if Sam would be allowed to visit. Their conversation had tired Andrew and by the time Hugh returned with the paper he was asleep again.

The nurse had insisted that Andrew be able to sit up for at least half an hour without being ill or feeling dreadful before they could consider letting him have other visitors. Because of this when Alice Howard stopped by later that day she was pleasantly surprised to find Andrew sitting up and talking quietly with his father.

"Andrew you do look better."

Andrew turned his head slowly, smiling when he saw who it was, "hullo Auntie Alice."

Foyle had stood when Alice entered and now gestured her over to the chair, "Alice come and sit down, I was just about to go and fetch us some tea."

Alice smiled and was soon situated by Andrew's bed while Foyle went off in search of tea. Once he had gone Alice turned back to her nephew, "how are you feeling?"

"Better, honestly."

"I'm glad to hear it, you gave us all a dreadful fright Andrew."

"I know Auntie Alice, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"I know you didn't dear, your father and Charles were the same in the last war." She shook her head gently, "I never thought we would see another war, the damage was so great last time I was sure it could never happen again."

Andrew frowned slightly; The Great War had never been spoken of when he was a boy so it was only now, as he fought his own war, that he was starting to understand how much it had affected his father's generation. "Did Dad and Uncle Charles ever get injured?"

Alice hesitated for a minute and then nodded, "yes they did dear but those aren't my stories to tell. If you truly want to know you should ask them, they wouldn't have told before but you're a man now and you've been to war yourself so they might. Don't be offended if they don't Andrew, your uncle rarely speaks of the Great War with anyone, even me, and I'm sure your father is the same."

Andrew went to nod and then thought better of it as he felt his headache increase slightly, "He is, he never talks about it but I think I understand why now."

Alice nodded sadly, wishing that Andrew had no way of understanding how dreadful war was, _the war to end all wars they called it, if only!_ After a few moments she forced a bright smile, "so they've let you sit up, that's a good sign."

Andrew smiled back, "yes, they won't let Sam visit until I can be up for half an hour."

"And who might Sam be?" Alice asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Andrew grinned, "My best girl, she's amazing Auntie Alice. She's Dad's driver and I was so sure he was going to be furious with me but it's just as well he wasn't as he sort of set us up."

"Your father, playing matchmaker? Now there's a story I need to hear."

Andrew smiled and was just finishing explaining how he and Sam had gotten together when Foyle returned with tea. His head was starting to ache again but he was trying to hide it, desperately wanting to be allowed to see Sam tomorrow. Unfortunately for him his father knew him far too well.

Foyle took one look at his son and frowned. A few questions and an expressive eyebrow later Andrew had admitted to feeling unwell and Foyle turned and left the room, returning with a nurse.

Fortunately the nurse's examination revealed nothing more serious than exhaustion and after the head of the bed had been lowered and he had been given more pain medication Andrew quickly fell asleep. Foyle stayed beside the bed running his fingers softly through his son's hair, his brow slightly furrowed.

Alice watched him for few minutes and then said quietly, "I'm sorry Christopher he wore himself out talking to me."

Foyle shook his head "he would have done the same if it had been me Alice. He's desperate to see Sam and I don't think he really realizes how badly he was injured."

Alice nodded, taking in the exhaustion on Foyle's face, "he's going to be fine Christopher, we know that now."

Foyle nodded, "I know and I'm so thankful it's just…"

"Difficult to see him like this." Alice finished with an understanding smile, "He's a strong young man Christopher you mustn't forget that. It hasn't been 72 hours since the accident and already he's sitting up. He'll be back in the air sooner then any of us would like so we might as well try to enjoy having him safely on the ground."

Foyle nodded again, he knew Alice was right. As difficult as this was at least Andrew was safe, safer then he had been in months. "Prefer if he just took leave next time but I see your point."

Alice smiled, "Good. You need to look after yourself Christopher, you'll be no good to him if you wear yourself out."

"I know but after yesterday I want to stay close, at least for today."

Alice nodded, Charles had told her about Andrew's nightmare and Christopher's refusal to leave his side the night before. It had clearly shaken Christopher more then he was letting on and she knew it was pointless to argue with him about it.

"I understand. I need to go now, but Charles will stop in on his way home. Do me a favour and don't let him dawdle? We have a dinner to attend tonight and you know how much he dislikes those, he'd be more then happy to use you and Andrew as an excuse."

"Can't say I blame him." Foyle said with one of his trademark upside down smiles.

Alice shook her head, "Honestly you're as bad as each other. It's no wonder you get on so well. Don't hesitate to ring if we can help in anyway Christopher, I mean it."

Foyle nodded, "thank you Alice. I hope you enjoy the dinner."

"Thank you, they are always interesting although rationing has limited the menu. But while our house is standing and our family is safe we really have nothing to complain about."

Foyle nodded, his eyes straying back to Andrew, a slight shudder running through him as he thought of how close he had come to losing him. "Yes" he said softly, "we are very lucky."

Alice gave him a sad smile, putting a gentle hand on his arm as she went passed, "I'll see you tomorrow Christopher, do try and get some sleep tonight."

Foyle nodded and forced a tired smile, "fully intend to."

"Good, until tomorrow then."

"Until tomorrow." Foyle agreed, staying on his feet until she had left the room and then sinking down into the chair by Andrew's bed, more exhausted from the events of the last few days then he was willing to admit.


	11. Chapter 11

Andrew felt much better when he woke after his nap but the nurses refused to let him sit up again and he was grudgingly forced to agree with his father that if he rested now he had a better chance of seeing Sam on Sunday. As a result when Commander Howard came by in the early evening he found an identical scene to the one that had greeted Reid that morning, Foyle quietly reading aloud to Andrew.

Charles paused just inside the doorway, suddenly powerfully reminded of another time, almost 19 years earlier, when he had seen the Foyle men engaged in the same activity.

 _He and Alice had been invited over for dinner and though Andrew was far too young to join them he had been allowed to stay up to see his aunt and uncle when they arrived. A short while later a reluctant Andrew said goodnight and was carried up to bed by his father. Fifteen minutes later, with Rosalind and Alice busy in the kitchen, Charles had gone upstairs to use the lavatory._

 _He had done his best to be quiet in case Andrew was already asleep but as he paused on the landing he heard the low murmur of Christopher's voice coming through Andrew's open bedroom door. Unable to resist he quietly crossed the landing and peaked into the room a soft smile spreading across his face as he took in the scene._

 _Christopher was sitting in the rocking chair by Andrew's bed, his son nestled in his lap reading quietly from a book of children's stories. Andrew was leaning against his father, sucking his thumb and sleepily playing with his father's collar while he fought to keep his eyes open. It was clear that the little boy was nearly asleep and Charles had silently moved away from the door, not wanting to disturb them._

"Hello Charles, I didn't hear you come in."

Foyle's voice roused Howard from his memories and he glanced up clearing his throat, "I umm just got here. Andrew how are you feeling?"

"Better, although no one will believe me."

Howard smiled, pleased that Andrew was feeling well enough to begin to complain about being confined to bed. "Give it time Andrew, if you push yourself too fast you'll only get sick again and it will take you even longer to get back in the air."

He spoke kindly but firmly and Andrew frowned slightly, "yes Sir." He said finally trying unsuccessfully not to sound like a petulant toddler.

His uncle smiled at him again before turning to look at Foyle, "Christopher you look like a man who could do with some fresh air. Why not take a turn around the gardens while I sit with Andrew?"

Foyle's lips pulled down into a slight smile, it appeared Alice had been right. "Appreciate the offer Charles but I'd rather not have Alice cross with me tomorrow."

"Alice?" Howard asked with practiced innocence "what has she got to do with this?"

"She told me about the dinner you have this evening, asked me to make sure you didn't 'dawdle' to use her words."

Howard threw back his head and laughed, "oh she really does know me too well! Side effect of 27 years of marriage I suppose. Ah well you can't blame me for trying. An evening spent in my dress uniform, listening to the opinions of men with more money than sense or experience is hardly my idea of a good time."

Foyle nodded sympathetically, "can't say I envy you. One of the blessings of being stuck in Hastings I suppose, no one expects me attend such things."

Howard nodded, "well it can't be helped and Alice does enjoy getting out, so I suppose I should go. Do you need anything? A change of clothes?"

Foyle shook his head "no Hugh packed me a bag yesterday so I'm set."

Howard nodded again, "right, I'll be off then. Assuming I'm not called into the admiralty Alice and I will come by tomorrow and see how you're getting on." He turned back toward the bed and addressed his nephew, "Andrew be a good chap and do as the nurses say or I'll personally ring your Wing Commander and tell him that you need an extra week in hospital alright?"

"You wouldn't!" Andrew exclaimed studying his uncle in shock. Howard gave him a look that said very clearly that he 'bloody well would' and Andrew swallowed nervously, "yes Sir."

"Good man. Christopher don't hesitate to ring if anything changes. Just ring then house our housekeeper will know how to reach us."

Foyle nodded, "thank you Charles I'll keep that in mind. I do hope your evening goes, err smoothly if nothing else."

"Thank you Christopher, I'd best be on my way. Have a good evening and get some sleep, both of you."

"We will, mind asking Hugh to come in here on your way out?"

"Not at all." The two men shook hands and with a final wave to Andrew Commander Howard left.

Foyle's attempt to convince Hugh to head home that evening was unsuccessful, and it was arranged instead that Hugh would go back to Hastings the next morning and return on Sunday afternoon with Sam, assuming of course that she was allowed to visit.

The night passed fairly peacefully with Andrew only waking once from a nightmare, the names of fallen friends on his lips. Thankfully he had settled quickly at his father's touch and Foyle and Reid had switched places allowing Reid to catch a few hours of sleep as well.

The morning dawned bright and clear and once they had eaten breakfast and Andrew had been seen by the doctor Reid took his leave. Andrew was continuing to heal with the speed that only youth can provide and the doctor was willing to allow him to try and sit up again, provided of course that he was honest with his father and the nurses. Andrew had given his word and was propped up in bed when his aunt and uncle came by later that morning.

"Good morning Christopher, Andrew it's good to see you up again."

"Morning Auntie Alice, Uncle Charles, it's good to be up again."

These pleasantries had scarcely been exchanged when one of the nurses came in to check on Andrew. She took one look at the number of people in the room and set her lips in a thin line, "I know you are all family but sitting up is enough to getting on with without a lot of visitors, he needs to be kept quiet you know."

Foyle nodded, frowning slightly and chewing on his lower lip. "Christopher why don't we take a walk?" Charles suggested, "Alice can sit with Andrew and you could do with the fresh air. We'd be back in fifteen minutes."

Foyle hesitated, looking between Alice and Andrew. "I'll be fine Dad, really."

Foyle gave his son a search look and then turned to his sister-in-law, "that alright with you Alice?"

"Of course Christopher, we'll be fine and Charles is right, the fresh air will do you good."

Foyle nodded and turned back to his son, "Andrew I expect you to tell your aunt at once if you start to feel ill, understood?"

"Yes Dad."

Foyle waited until Andrew met his gaze and then nodded and turned to Charles, "shall we?"

Howard nodded and soon Alice and Andrew were alone in the room. "How are you feeling Andrew?"

"Better, I'm tired of being cooped up though and I do wish Dad would stop fussing."

Alice smiled kindly at her nephew, "you have to remember how difficult this has been for him Andrew. Just when he thinks you're a bit safer he gets a telephone call telling him that you're in hospital and rushes to Debden to find you seriously injured. That's enough to make anyone fuss don't you think?"

Andrew nodded thoughtfully, "I know but I'm all right now, well very nearly, and he hovers every time I so much as grimace."

Alice nodded sympathetically, "I understand that it must be frustrating Andrew but please try and understand that although your father is incredibly proud of you he has also been worried sick since you joined up. That telephone call was something he's been dreading for almost year, it's only natural that he's worried right now."

Andrew frowned as he thought over what his aunt had said. He felt a stab of guilt for having caused his father so much worry but he knew if he had it do over he would still join up. It was the right thing to do and he knew his father understood that. _But would Mum have?_ It was a question that had been nagging at him for a while and he pondered it again now his frown deepening as he did so.

"Andrew, are you feeling all right?"

His aunt's question broke through his musings and he looked up and gave her a faint smile, "yes Auntie Alice I'm fine, just wondering…" He broke off, looking down and fidgeting slightly with his blanket.

"What were you wondering Andrew?" Alice asked gently after a few minutes of silence.

Andrew hesitated then, head down, asked quietly, "Do you think Mum would be proud of me? Dad says she would but it's not as if he'd ever say anything else and some days I just can't help but wonder what she would think of all this."

Alice Howard felt her eyes fill with tears as she looked at her nephew. He had grown into a fine young man but somewhere under the fighter pilot bravado there was still a shadow of the heartbroken 13 year old who had cried himself to sleep in her arms all those years ago.

She blinked rapidly to push back her tears, "she would be exceptionally proud of you Andrew, just as your father is, just as we all are. She would be dreadfully worried about you of course but she would understand why you joined up and been very proud of you for doing so."

She spoke with all the conviction she could summon and was pleased to see Andrew's shoulders relax slightly as he looked hopefully at her. "You really think so?"

"I know it as surely as I knew that your uncle was going to try and get out of going to that dinner last night. She loved you very much Andrew and was proud of you from the day you were born. You must never question that."

Andrew nodded, his eyes had grown suspiciously bright and Alice discretely focused on her knitting to give his a chance to compose himself. "How was the dinner?" Andrew asked after while, "Uncle Charles didn't seem very keen to go."

"He never is dear, but the evening went well and it was nice to see some of our old friends again." Andrew nodded, leaning back against his pillows and allowing his aunt's voice to wash over him.

He was still up and feeling well when Foyle and Howard returned a short while later although he was growing increasingly tired. The Howards seemed to sense this for after another few minutes of quiet conversation they took their leave, promising to be back the next day.

The nurse came in not long after to say that Andrew's thirty minutes were up and feeling more tired than he would admit Andrew didn't object. The nurse put the head of the bed back down and thanks to the soothing familiarity of his father's hand running through his hair he was asleep in ten minutes.


	12. Chapter 12

Foyle had a quiet word with the nurse while Andrew was asleep and she confirmed that Sam would be allowed a short visit the next day as long as nothing changed. Foyle thanked her and with some hesitation left Andrew's room to go and call Sam.

"Samantha Stewart speaking."

"Hello Sam."

"Mr. Foyle! How is Andrew? Mr. Reid's last message said he was recovering. How are you? It's really not the same not having you at the station Sir although of course you should be with Andrew."

She paused to draw breath and Foyle hurried to get a word in, "Andrew's better than he was, in fact they say you can come up for a visit tomorrow, if you like."

"Truly Sir? I've been desperate to come but Milner said I had to wait until you said it was all right. That means he's getting better doesn't it? What time should I come? Do you suppose it would be all right for me to use a station car? I could take the train of course if it isn't."

"Err Superintendent Reid said he could give you a lift up tomorrow after church. If you wanted to come of course."

"Of course I want to come! Why wouldn't I?"

Foyle ran a hand across his forehead, "Well for one you won't be allowed to visit for long, half an hour at most, because of the concussion."

"That's all right Sir I just want to see him, I don't care how short it is."

"Right. He is still quite badly injured Sam and well it's a hospital, not really the nicest place to visit. No one will think less of you if you'd rather wait a few days or until he's back in Hastings."

There was a slight pause and then Sam asked, "Does he not want to see me Sir? Is that why you are telling me all this?" She sounded terribly young and Foyle cursed the awkwardness of trying to discuss such things over the telephone.

"Nnoo Sam not at all. Andrew very much wants to see you. He just doesn't want you to feel err obligated and neither do I. Like I said no one will think less of you if you'd rather not come just now."

Sam laughed lightly, "You forget that my father is a vicar Sir, he used to take me with him on calls sometimes. I'm not the least afraid of hospitals and I very much want to see Andrew."

Foyle smiled slightly at the earnestness in her voice, "right then. What time should I tell Mr. Reid to stop by?"

Five minutes later Foyle had written down the address of Sam's boarding house and arranged that she should be ready to leave at 1pm unless she heard differently. Next he rang Reid to confirm the plan.

This done he headed back to Andrew's room, relieved to find him still asleep. The cuts and bruises on Andrew's face were already starting to heal but as Foyle bent to tuck him in more soundly he couldn't help longing for the days when his arms had been enough to keep his son safe.

Andrew slept peacefully for several hours, waking up hungry just before teatime. It was the first time he had expressed an interest in food since the accident and Foyle felt some of the tension bleeding out of his shoulders.

If Andrew had been trying to assure his father that he was on the mend he could not have chosen a better way and Foyle had to resist the urge to ruffle his son's hair as he left to fetch a nurse.

Once they had finished their tea Andrew had shyly asked if his father wouldn't mind continuing the book they had started the day before. "It's just so nice to hear something that isn't a briefing or a casualty report. Some days I think I could happily read all that Shakespeare that Professor Woodgrove used to assign just for a change!"

Foyle had nodded understandingly and happily complied, smiling fondly when Andrew fell asleep two chapters later. He marked their place in the book and carefully placed it to one side before relaxing back in his chair and letting his own eyes slide closed.

Foyle spent the night in the chair, waking twice to Andrew's nightmares but otherwise sleeping fairly well. When morning dawned he slipped out quietly to shave and change and was back at Andrew's side when his son awoke.

Following his examination the doctor agreed to allow Sam to visit as long as Andrew promised to be honest about how he was feeling. "It's one thing to want to see your best girl but you aren't going to impress her very much by being sick all over the sheets are you?"

Andrew nodded, "no Sir. I promise I'll tell a nurse if I start to feel unwell."

"Good man. You are doing very well, if you keep up like this I should think we'll be able to move you to the general ward quite soon."

"And how soon until I can fly?"

The doctor sighed, studying Andrew for a long minute before answering. "That depends on many things, concussions are tricky and no RAF medic will clear you to fly until you've been symptom free for at least ten days, possibly longer."

Andrew frowned and the doctor gave him a reassuring smile, "try not to fret, you've done very well so far. If you continue to do as you're told you could be out of here a week from now and back in the air soon after that. The most important thing is to try and be patient, the more you rush concussions the longer they take to heal in the end."

Andrew nodded, "right. I can see Sam today though can't I?"

The doctor nodded, "yes you may, although for no longer than half an hour, less if you start to feel ill."

Andrew nodded, a broad smile on his face, which Foyle found himself returning despite his lingering worry.

The doctor smiled back at him, "well I should be on my way unless you have any questions?" He looked inquiringly at Foyle who shook his head. "Right well, best of luck Flight Lieutenant, if you ask nicely the nurses might even help you clean up a bit before your girl arrives."

Andrew looked hopefully at the nurse. She smiled back, "you eat your breakfast and then well see about getting you cleaned up."

"Right-o" Andrew responded returning to his porridge with enthusiasm.

Foyle shook his head, lips curving into a fond smile before excusing himself to go and call Reid and Sam to let them know that the visit could go ahead.

* * *

Reid had done his best to prepare Sam on the drive up but it was hard to get a word in edgewise. Any cautions that he did manage she just brushed aside, cheerfully reminding him that it was hardly her first time visiting someone in hospital.

Reid couldn't help but wonder if it was the first time she had visited a beau and if she had considered how that might change things but it was hardly something he could ask.

As a result he could only give the slightest shake of his head to Foyle's questioning eyebrow when he met them at the end of the corridor that led to Andrew's room. Foyle nodded his understanding before turning to Sam.

"Sam, how are you?"

"Oh tickity-boo Sir. Anxious to see Andrew. I thought the sermon would never end this morning, although you must promise not to tell my father; he would give me a lecture that is sure to be twice as long all about the importance of listening to God's word. I've often wondered if God would take as long to tell me what he thought if he could do it for himself. "

Foyle nodded gravely, although his eyes twinkled, "not to worry your secret's safe with me."

"Thank you Sir. May I see Andrew now?"

Foyle hesitated and drew her a little ways down the corridor, "I know you're eager to see him Sam but you must understand he has been in a crash."

Sam frowned slightly, "I know Sir, that's why he's here."

"Err quite." Foyle ran a hand across his forehead, "what I'm trying to say Sam is he's rather the worse for wear at the moment. Concussion and ribs aside he's covered in cuts and bruises and it can be rather a shock at first."

Sam nodded her brow furrowed in concern. "He is going to be all right though isn't he Sir?"

Foyle nodded, "yes in time."

Sam smiled, "well then there's nothing to worry about is there? May I see him now Sir?"

Foyle blinked at her for a moment before nodding slowly and leading the way to Andrew's room. He stuck his head in first to make sure Andrew was awake, smiling slightly at the sight of his son trying not to fidget. "Andrew?"

Andrew looked up as quickly as he dared and Foyle smiled reassuringly at him, "feel up to a visitor?"

Andrew nodded eagerly and Foyle bit back a smile as he turned slightly to look questioningly at Sam. She beamed up at him so he stepped aside to let her pass.

"Sam!"

"Andrew!" Sam had paled slightly at the sight of Andrew's obvious injuries but she recovered quickly and crossed immediately to the bed, sitting down and taking his hand. "It is good to see you. Do you have any idea how worried we've been? What on earth happened?"

Andrew looked down, remorse and guilt plainly written on his face. "I'm sorry Sam, truly I am. I never meant to make you worry."

Sam nodded, squeezing his hand comfortingly, "I know you didn't Andrew. I would like to know what happened though if you don't mind. Are you allowed to tell me?"

"Yes I'm allowed, not much to tell though and I'm afraid you might be cross with me when you hear." He looked up a little shyly and Sam squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"I promise I shall only be cross if you did something foolish and then you'll deserve it."

Andrew chuckled, "I suppose I would. Well like I said there isn't much to tell, I'd taken two of the newest lads up for a practice flight…"

Foyle stood in the doorway chewing his lip, he didn't really want to hear the story again but he was also loath to leave Andrew and Sam on their own in case something happened.

"Christopher?" He turned at Reid's voice, moving to join him in the hallway. "Why don't we go and get some tea? Sam and Andrew seem fine and I'm sure they wouldn't object to 10 minutes alone."

Foyle nodded distractedly, peering into the room where Sam sat listening quietly to Andrew's tale. He tapped lightly on the door frame causing them both to look at him, "sorry to interrupt. Hugh and I are just going to get us all some tea, we'll be back in ten minutes. That all right?"

They both nodded, "err good, Sam there's a nurse at the end of the hall if anything happens."

"Dad!"

"We'll be fine Sir."

Foyle nodded and reluctantly followed Reid down the hall.

Ten minutes later they paused in the doorway, tea in hand, taking in the scene in front of them. Sam still sat holding Andrew's hand but the conversation had changed, stories of airplanes and war no longer filled the air, instead Sam appeared to be telling Andrew about when she was a girl in Lynminster.

Despite the familiar cheeriness in Sam's voice Foyle couldn't help feeling that this was not the young woman that they saw everyday at the station, this was a different Sam. This was the vicar's daughter who had clearly spent her formative years visiting the sick, elderly and bereaved. He cocked his head to one side oddly touched to see Sam in a quiet moment. Beside him Reid cleared his throat causing Sam and Andrew to look up.

"Tea Sam?" Reid offered, stepping forward to hand her the cup and giving Foyle a minute to collect himself.

"Thank you Sir, very kind of you."

Reid smiled kindly at her, "not at all." He glanced at Andrew and then at Foyle, "well it looks like you have everything under control so I'll go back to the hall. The nurses get cross if there are too many people in here at once."

Rousing himself from his thoughts as Reid passed him Foyle crossed to the bed and placed a cup of tea within Andrew's reach. "Milk and sugar, would appear being the one in hospital does have some advantages."

Andrew smiled slightly and Foyle was relieved to see that, while tired, he did not appear to be in pain. He glanced at Sam and then cleared his throat, "might go and join Hugh in the hall unless you need anything?"

"I'm fine Dad."

Foyle gave his son one more searching look and then nodded, "good. Just call if you want me."

The rest of Sam's visit passed quickly and Andrew was surprised when the nurse came to tell them time was up. "Already? Surely she can stay a little longer I feel perfectly fine."

He looked pleadingly at the nurse but she just shook her head, "rules are there for a reason and you've had plenty of excitement for one day." Her voice was kind but firm and she looked significantly at Sam as she spoke.

"But…" Andrew began but Sam stopped him, giving his hand a comforting squeeze

"She's right Andrew you need to rest and I need to get back to Hastings."

"I feel fine."

"I'm glad to hear it but if you argue with the nurses they might keep you longer and then where would we be?"

"I suppose."

Sam smiled and bent to kiss him, "do take care Andrew, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Take care Sam. Thank you for coming, it was wonderful to see you."

They smiled at each other for another minute before the nurse, deciding this had gone on long enough, began to lower the head of Andrew's bed. With a final smile and a wave Sam stepped out into the hallway.

"Times up then?" Reid asked as Sam appeared in the doorway.

Sam nodded, "'fraid so." Her voice lacked its usual cheerfulness and Reid smiled kindly at her.

"May I run you back to Hastings?"

Sam hesitated, "Very kind of you to offer Sir but I'll be fine to take the train."

"Nonsense, I'm heading back anyway. Need to drop by the station tomorrow morning and see how things are. I can't remember the last time both Christopher and I were away for this long."

"Things seem to be pretty tickity-boo at the station Sir although everyone's been worried about Andrew and Milner seems to be busier than ever."

Reid and Foyle both nodded although Foyle's brow had creased into a frown. He knew his place was by Andrew's side but that didn't change the fact that he still had a job to do, one that Milner was currently doing for him.

"It certainly sounds like everyone has been doing a very good job." Reid agreed "but if I don't go in soon I won't be able to see my desk under all the reports I need to sign."

Sam nodded, "Milner certainly does seem to have been writing a lot of those Sir."

"All the more reason to go in tomorrow. Anything I can get you while I'm back Christopher?"

Foyle thought for a minute, "Any reports Milner wants me to have a look at and my mail would be much appreciated, I can look them over while Andrew's resting."

Reid nodded, "anything from your house?"

Foyle shook his head, "not that I can think of, thank you Hugh."

"Not at all. Ready to go Sam?"

Sam nodded and turned to Foyle, "thank you for letting me come Sir, it was so good to see Andrew."

"Thank you for coming Sam. Your visit cheered him up immensely."

Sam smiled, "may I come again then Sir?"

Foyle hesitated, "depending on what the doctors say, they might be moving him to the ward soon and I'm not sure what the rules for visiting are there."

Sam nodded, "you will let me know though?"

Foyle nodded, "of course."

Sam smiled and Foyle found himself smiling back, "you're welcome to go home for a bit if Milner doesn't need you Sam, I'm not sure when I'll be back at work after all."

"Thank you Sir but I'd rather stay in Hastings at the moment, maybe next weekend."

Foyle nodded and Reid cleared his throat, "shall we?"

Sam nodded, "take care Sir, I hope I'll see you soon."

"Take care Sam." Foyle watched Hugh and Sam walk away before heading back into Andrew's room.


	13. Chapter 13

Andrew continued to improve and two days later was moved to the general ward. Foyle was relieved but found his visiting hours sharply curtailed, the Matron was as firm as any general and he had no desire to cross her. Wanting to stay close he had taken Alice and Charles up on their offer and moved himself into their spare room

He remembered little of the first evening he spent with the Howards. He was so exhausted that he had fallen asleep on the settee after supper and then been shepherded off to bed by Charles where he collapsed into the first good sleep he'd had in nearly a week.

Over the next few days he quickly fell into a routine, he would spend the morning working on files and making calls in Charles' study while Alice was busy with war work and making calls. Then he (and often Alice) would go to the hospital and visit with Andrew for most of the afternoon. He would stay until after tea and usually headed back to the house with Charles who continued to come by each evening.

Andrew was making steady progress and now that he had recovered from the worst symptoms of his concussion was enjoying being on the ward with the other young men. It still made Foyle's heart ache each time he entered the ward to see so many fine young men bearing the scars of war just as their father's had before them.

They did so bravely though and Foyle couldn't help stopping just out of sight one day to watch Andrew and the others cheering on one of the lads who had lost part of his leg and was up on his crutches for the first time.

"Just a bit further mate."

"Well done old chap!"

They started to cheer as Wilkins completed his circuit and collapsed back on to his bed and Foyle could tell that the Matron was trying to look disapproving at the amount of noise on her ward but she couldn't quite contain her smile as Wilkins sat there beaming.

He still had a long hard road ahead of him but she knew that it was this type of encouragement that would see him through the worst of it. As such she gave them 3 more minutes of noisy celebration and then clapped her hands and called over the din, "all right you lot settle down."Her voice and countenance were stern and soon induced the desired effect.

Foyle decided this was a good time to make his presences known. Stopping briefly at Wilkins' bed to offer his own quieter congratulations he made his way over to Andrew's bedside.

Andrew looked up with a smile, "Hullo Dad you just missed all the excitement. John got up on his crutches! Made a damn good show of it too!"

"I saw the end of it, certainly looked like he did very well."

Andrew nodded, "he did. It's been hard on him; his girl hasn't really been to see him and his family's too far away to visit much. I talk to him when I can but it's not like I know what he's going through, I mean I know I'll be able to get back in the air but he can't."

Foyle nodded gravely, remembering all too clearly how disheartened Milner had been when he first went to see him.

Almost as if Andrew had read his thought his head shot up, thankfully without inducing the nausea that had plagued him during his first few days in hospital. "Your sergeant lost his leg too didn't he? Do you suppose he'd mind talking to John sometime?"

Foyle hesitated, it was hardly his place to speak for Milner but he also didn't see him refusing. "I'll bring it up next time I speak to him, see what he says. I suppose he could always come up with Sam one afternoon."

Andrew nodded, "it would be jolly descent of him if he did. I mean it hasn't really stopped him has it?."

Foyle shook his head, "he's worked hard to get where he is and whether or not part of one of his legs is aluminum really has no bearing on his ability to do his job."

"Precisely! I think that's what John needs to hear; that there is something after even if he can't fly."

Foyle nodded, "indeed." He was very proud of Andrew for being able to see past his own injuries and try and help the other young men. This war was turning his boy into a man, one Foyle was increasingly proud of.

"How soon until I can come home?" Andrew's question roused Foyle from his thoughts and he glanced down at his son.

"Depends on what the doctor says tomorrow, as you very well know."

Andrew nodded a little sheepishly, "Sorry, I just hate being cooped up like this. I mean it's a good crowd but if I can't be in the air I'd much rather be home."

Foyle nodded understandingly, "I know son and I'd rather you were home too but we have to leave that up to the doctor."

Andrew nodded again, "Yes Sir."

His earlier enthusiasm had faded and Foyle frowned slightly, "Want me to ask the Matron if we can go for a bit of a walk? It's not too cold today."

Andrew nodded, "I'd like that."

"Good, I'll go and ask then."

The Matron had given permission on the condition that they were gone no longer than half an hour and that Andrew inform his father at once if he started to feel unwell. Andrew had agreed and he and Foyle had passed a very pleasant twenty minutes slowly walking around the hospital grounds.

The meeting with the doctor the next day went well and after giving firm instructions that Andrew was not to do anything to over exert himself he had given Andrew permission to go home in two days time.

Andrew would have rather gone home the same day but was forced to concede that his father would need a little bit of time to straighten out things at home in terms of rations and such.

Somewhat reluctantly Foyle headed back to Hastings the next morning, Alice and Charles having promised to telephone that evening with a report on Andrew.

Sam dropped him off and he wearily climbed the front steps and opened the door only to freeze on the threshold at the unfamiliar sound of singing coming from the kitchen. After a moment he quietly closed the door and took off his hat before making his way toward the kitchen, where he found Elaine Reid busy at the stove.

She had heard from Hugh that Andrew would be coming home the next day and had come over to air out the house and make "just a few things." Foyle had tried to protest, insisting that he could handle it and she was busy enough with her own household, but Elaine was determined and he was left with no choice but to gratefully accept her help.

By the time she left the house smelled deliciously of beef tea and stew and Foyle had Andrew's room tidy and ready for his return. Once he heard from Alice and Charles, who assured him that Andrew was fine and anxious to be home Foyle headed up to bed.

He slept fairly well and was already standing in the hall when Hugh's car pulled up at 8am the next morning. Sam and Charles had both offered to drive them down but in the end Hugh had won, pointing out the Charles was needed at the Admiralty and that it might be best if the person driving was not someone who would be looking over their shoulder every time Andrew spoke.

For his part Foyle was glad it was Hugh, he and Charles got on very well but he didn't like to impose on his brother-in-law, especially when his work was so important to the war effort. Sam was a wonderful driver but he worried that her energy would tire Andrew, something he wanted to minimize on his son's first full day out of bed.

He had known Hugh for so long he was practically part of their family and his steadiness always calmed Foyle, something that was never more apparent than when Andrew was hurt or ill. He honestly didn't think he would have made it through Andrew's first few days in the hospital if it hadn't been for Hugh and he was still trying to work out how to thank him. Knowing Hugh he would brush off any thanks with a smile and a clap on the shoulder.

"You all right Christopher?" Hugh's voice interrupted his musings and Foyle glanced up quickly.

"Yes, fine."

Hugh studied him carefully for a moment before nodding and focusing back on the road. "It will be nice to have Andrew home for a bit."

"Yes. Hugh, look, I want to thank you for everything you've done this week. Not sure where I'd be right now if it weren't for you."

"Probably still standing in your front hall." Hugh replied with a cheeky grin. Foyle raised an eyebrow and Reid immediately sobered saying seriously, "I'm glad I was able to help Christopher and very glad that Andrew's all right."

Foyle nodded, "So am I." His voice was a little rough but Reid made no mention of it, just smiled understandingly. The rest of the drive passed in comfortable silence and they were soon pulling up outside the hospital.

They found Andrew dressed and waiting for them and after a final set of instructions from the Matron and a series of goodbyes Andrew and Foyle were settled in the back of the car.

Andrew knew Mr. Reid was driving as carefully as he could but traffic was stop and go as they headed out of London and every time the car jerked his ribs ached in protest. He tried to distract himself by looking out the window but it didn't really work and he pressed his lips together tightly against the pain. He didn't want to worry anyone or worse have his father decide he should still be in hospital.

Andrew was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he jumped when Foyle placed a gentle hand on the back of his neck, and he couldn't quite bite back a groan as his ribs throbbed in protest.

"Andrew?"

"I'm fine Dad."

Foyle raised a skeptical eyebrow as he studied his son worriedly, he was pale and clearly in some pain and they still had at least an hour and half to go.

"Hugh, how long till we're out of town?"

"Another quarter of an hour at most." Reid replied shooting a worried glance over his shoulder.

Foyle nodded, chewing thoughtfully on his cheek while he studied his son out of the corner of his eye. Andrew had his eyes closed and his breathing was shallower than Foyle would have liked. He tightened his grip on the back of Andrew's neck, "want to see if lying down helps?"

Andrew's eyes opened immediately, "Dad, I told you I'm fine."

Foyle raised an eyebrow again and Andrew sighed, "all right, if it will make _you_ feel better." He shifted gingerly and Foyle helped him ease himself down onto his back, head resting on Foyle's leg.

Fifteen minutes later, they reached the roadway and with a sigh Andrew shifted and fell asleep. Foyle studied his son with a fond smile as he gently brushed the hair back from his forehead. With a little luck Andrew would sleep the rest of the way back.

He did, waking only as they pulled up outside the house and blinking up at his father in surprise, "Dad? Where?"

Foyle smiled softly, "we're home Andrew, ready to go inside?"

Andrew nodded and carefully pushed himself up, running a hand over his face before allowing his father to help him out of the car and into the house.

Reid held the door for them and then, after a silent conversation with Foyle, headed to the kitchen to make tea.

By the time Hugh brought the tea up Andrew was asleep again and Foyle was sitting on the edge of the bed watching him, his face soft with emotion. Hugh set the tray down quietly then crossed to the bed and placed a warm hand on Foyle's shoulder. "He's all right Christopher."

Foyle nodded silently but couldn't help reaching out to gently brush the hair back from Andrew's forehead. "Welcome home son." He whispered before accepting the cup of tea Hugh offered him and taking a grateful sip.

The End

* * *

A/N: Well that it, I hope you've enjoyed it and thanks again to everyone who has reviewed. I'm signing off for awhile so I just wanted to say thanks for reading. All the best - TT-5


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